Hip replacement surgery
You know that the hip joint is one of the largest joints in the body. When this joint is in trouble, the problem can have a serious impact on your whole body and ability to perform normal activities. When hip joint is severely damaged by arthritis or other potential problems, hip replacement surgery may be recommended. In hip replacement surgery, the orthopedic surgeon removes cartilage and bone from the hip joint and replaces it with artificial limbs. Surgery can be associated with decreased long-term pelvic pain and increased mobility. Hip replacement surgery can provide relief to the patient’s pain, improve joint function, and restore normal walking and other movements related to this joint.
The implant design can give you a new stability and function for the affected joints. Pelvic hip replacement surgery has a very high success rate and can provide remarkable quality improvement for some patients. Your doctor will usually recommend hip replacement surgery when you have a damaged hip joint and have pain, and other treatments such as physiotherapy or exercise training may not help to resolve the problem.
Hip replacement surgery is a procedure during which old and damaged hip joints are replaced with an artificial one (known as a prosthesis). Hip replacement is also known as total hip arthroplasty. Arthritis in the hip area can have different types, including:
- Traumatic arthritis: Arthritis caused by injury is classified in this group. This can also damage the hip’s cartilage.
- Rheumatoid arthritis: This type of arthritis causes inflammation of the synovial lining in the joints. This can increases the synovial fluid and leads to severe stiffness and pain.
- Osteoarthritis: This is a degenerative type of joint disease that mostly affected old and middle age people. Osteoarthritis can cause a breakdown in the joint cartilage and adjacent bones of hips.
When do patients need total hip replacement surgery?
People over 50 or more are the most vulnerable group to damages and diseases in the hip area. Those who face symptoms as below will be considered as a proper candidate for hip replacement surgery:
- Advanced arthritis or other similar complications
- Significant stiffness in the hip area
- Severe pain which affects everyday activities of the patient
- Pain that cannot be controlled by canes, walkers, or anti-inflammatory medications.
Does my hip joint need hip replacement surgery?
Arthritis is one of the most common motives for hip replacement surgery. Your doctor may also prescribe you hip replacement surgery in the following cases:
- Rheumatoid arthritis (a condition that causes pain, stiffness, and arthritis)
- Bone necrosis (a disease that causes bone to die in the joints)
- Hip joint Injury
- Bone tumor that breaks the hip joint.
Your specialist doctor may first prescribe other treatments for you, including:
- Use auxiliary tools like a cane while walking
- Use an exercise program
- Physiotherapy
- Taking medication
These treatments may reduce hip pain and improve its function. However, sometimes this pain persists and makes it difficult for you to do daily activities. In this case, the doctor may use radiology imaging to check the condition of the injured joint. If radiology imaging shows damage to the hip joint, you may need hip replacement surgery.
Who are the suitable candidates for hip replacement surgery?
When you are struggling with daily activities in your life, you may need hip replacement surgery. If you find yourself having the opportunity to do your daily activities like dressing, showering, walking, and sleeping, then your quality of life is affected. If you cannot do your normal workouts because of pain in your hip joint or if you cannot get the proper conditions for your job because of this problem, if you need medication for bedtime, you should talk about hip replacement surgery with a surgeon.
Keep in mind that hip pain can be felt anywhere or around the hip joint. In some cases, you may not be able to feel the pain directly from the hip area, and this pain may be felt from the thigh.
By identifying the specific type of pain that has affected your life, you will increase the chance of finding the right treatment for the problem. In this regard, the surgeon will help you decide on the need for hip replacement surgery
Because of various reasons, the hip joint can be severely damaged in the pelvis area, the most common reasons are:
- When the thigh joint is ruptured and it has arthritis and damage
- Weak hip and acetabular fractures
- Necrosis and femur damage due to poor blood supply
- Hip damage due to rheumatic disease
- When the hip joint has congenital dislocation and breaks down
In these cases, if the patient’s pain is less severe, it can be reduced by taking painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs, and if the pain is severe, total hip replacement surgery can relieve the pain.
Total hip replacement or hip arthroplasty is one of the most successful surgical procedures in humans. Changing the hip joint relieves chronic pain that has long hindered normal physical activities. In total hip replacement surgery, a damaged hip joint is replaced with an artificial joint.
What is the process of hip replacement?
The general outline of a hip replacement surgery is to remove the damaged hip and replace it with prosthesis. The hip prosthesis is usually made up of a stem that connects the pelvic bone and thigh bone. It also consists of a cup that will be inserted into the hip joint’s socket. The cup and stem are made of metals (sometimes plastic or ceramic), while the head joint is made of ceramic.
Moreover, hip prostheses have two different categories: cemented and non-cemented prosthesis. A non-cemented prosthesis attached to the bone with a special surface while the cemented one will be attached using surgical cement. In non-cement prosthesis, one side enters the femoral bone canal and other side fixes into pelvic bone.
Sometimes surgeons prefer to combine these two types for replacing a hip.
How is total hip replacement surgery performed?
In total hip replacement surgery, the surgeon removes the damaged bone marrow and replaces it with a metal sphere. The artificial hip joint matches two bones together. At the top is the acetabular cavity, which is a part of the pelvis. This cavity is approximately a hemisphere. Inside the cavity of the acetabulum is the femoral head.
The femoral head is the highest part of the femur, which is round and spherical. When the hip joint is damaged due to arthritis or rheumatism, both the knee-cap portion of the acetabulum cavity and the spherical portion of the thigh bone usually break down.
The physician trims the acetabulum using special grates. This removes the remaining cartilage and extra bones from the cavity and forms a complete hemisphere.
In the thigh section, the physician also removes the femoral head. Between the femur head and the femur trunk there is a thinner section called the femur neck.
During total hip replacement surgery, the femoral neck is incised using special orthopedic saws and then the femoral head is removed.
Next, the orthopedic surgeon inserts a metal or plastic knee-cap into the shaved cavity of the acetabulum and places a metal head on the remainder of the femoral neck to place them together to move like a joint. This artificial hip joint fits into place.
The metal head is attached to the remainder of the femur by an appendix called the Stem handle that attaches to the metal head, and the surgeon firmly holds the artificial head in place by inserting the handle into the central canal.
The orthopedic surgeon then scrapes the inner surface of the acetabular cavity in the pelvic area that is damaged by using special tools. This will remove the damaged cartilage and extra bones from the acetabular cavity and form a complete hemisphere.
The metal hip is then inserted into the shaped bone cavity and then the polyethylene knee-cap is inserted into the metal knee-cap.
In some cases, the plastic knee-cap may be inserted into the acetabular cavity with only a special adhesive without a metal knee-cap. This adhesive is called bone cement.
The metal head is placed inside the plastic knee-cap so that it can move in various directions within it.
Total hip replacement surgery can relieve hip pain in the hip area.
Hip arthroplasty surgery can greatly prevent hip arthritis and completely or partially relieve shortness of leg. This surgery can also dramatically improve the patient’s lameness.
Just as the human joint does not have an eternal life, so does the hip joint. These artificial joints may loosen within the bone after some time.
What is the success rate of hip replacement surgery?
Fortunately, the success rate of hip replacement surgery is higher than 95 percent. This shows that most of the patients will be relieved from hip pain after hip replacement surgery. This success rate, though decreases with time gradually. While, after ten years from the hip replacement surgery, the success rate is 90-95 percent, it decreases to 80-85 percent 20 years after the surgery. In the case of implant get loosen or tears, the surgeon will consider a new hip replacement.
What are the possible risks of hip replacement surgery?
Usually, prior to the hip replacement surgery, the possibility of some risks will be discussed with the patient. These risks are as such:
- Dislocation of Hip
- Blood clots or emboli in the pelvis and leg areas
- Infections in operation site
However, depending on the health condition of each patient, other risks may occur. It is better to discuss further concerns with TebMedTourism team prior to the surgery.
What are the post-operation instructions for hip replacement surgery?
The surgical area should be kept dry and clean. This is particularly important after leaving the hospital. Other post-operation steps depend on the type of surgery the patient has undergone; therefore, instructions will be issued by the doctor in charge.
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About TebMedTourism company
TebMedTourism Company is an International healthcare facilitator based in Tehran, Iran.
We start our professional activity in medical tourism industry regarding the profound capability of Iran in both healthcare & touristic fields.
We are ready with open arms to provide desirable services to our dear patients & guests from all over the world to enjoy world-class treatment quality and highly skilled doctors in Iran.
TebMedTourism company is cooperating with more than 40 internationally certified hospitals, 140 selected local hospitals, 300 specialized medical centers, 430 doctors, 112 hotels, domestic and international airlines in Tehran, Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Qom and other cities in Iran.
TebMedTourism team facilitates comprehensive medical & cosmetic packages in all medical & wellness & touristic fields aimed to achieve your desires.
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