Candidate for Total Hip Replacement  

The eligible candidates for this surgery suffer from moderate to extreme arthritis pain in the hip, including rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or post-traumatic arthritis. Any type of arthritis in the hip joint can interfere with daily activities by causing severe pain.

Certain conditions/activities when patients experience pain are:

• Going up on the stairs, bending and even walking is difficult
• Pain gets moderate to severe even while resting
• Symptoms are not alleviated due to non-surgical treatments like physical therapy, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), use of walker/cane or steroid injections
• Joint degeneration leads to stiffness in the joint and affects the hip’s range of motion when performing normal activities. A patient may even develop a limp formation

Around 90% of people who need to undergo hip replacement are suffering from osteoarthritis. Besides, some people even get total hip replacement surgery done for correcting issues associated with broken bones or osteonecrosis (bone death due to improper blood supply).

Total Hip Replacement Complications  

Complications associated with hip replacement surgery are:

• Blood clots: Blood clots can form in leg veins after the surgical procedure and can be dangerous if the clot breaks off and moves to your heart, lungs or brain
• Infection: Infections can develop at the incision site and in deeper tissue near the hip
• Fracture: There are chances that even the healthy portion of the hip joint may get fractured during surgery
• Dislocation: Certain body positions may cause the ball to come out of the socket after a few months of surgery
• Change in leg length: Occasionally, hip replacement may lead to one leg being longer than the other
• Nerve damage: Even nerve damages may occur and cause weakness and pain in the affected area

Hip Pain Causes

Most common causes of hip replacement surgery are:

• Osteoarthritis: It is age-related arthritis caused by wear and tear in the joint. It often occurs in people above 50 years of age and older individuals with a family history of arthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis: It is an autoimmune disease that causes the synovial membrane to become thickened and inflamed. Due to the chronic inflammation, bone cartilage may get damaged leading to stiffness and pain
• Post-traumatic arthritis: It may occur after any serious hip fracture or injury when the cartilage is damaged. This condition leads to pain and stiffness
• Osteonecrosis: It is a hip injury due to fracture or dislocation, which leads to the limited blood supply to the joint’s femoral head. Osteonecrosis occurs due to collapsing of the bone surface by the limited blood supply
• Childhood hip disease: Some children develop hip issues that may lead to arthritis later on in life. It happens if their hip bone doesn’t grow properly

Types of Hip Replacement Surgeries

There are three types of hip replacement surgeries, such as:

• Total hip replacement (most common)
• Partial hip replacement
• Hip resurfacing

The most common hip replacement surgery is called the total hip replacement (or total hip arthroplasty). During this surgery, the damaged or worn-out hip sections are replaced using artificial implants. The hip socket is replaced with a plastic cup and the femoral head is replaced with a ceramic or metal ball.

The other two types of hip replacement surgeries largely depend on activity levels and specific age groups of patients:

• Partial hip replacement (also known as hemi-arthroplasty) is the replacement of only one side of the hip joint instead of both sides. This procedure is suitable for older patients with a fractured hip
• Hip resurfacing: It is done most commonly in active and young patients. In this procedure, the femoral head and socket are resurfaced by surgery.

Treatment Options for Hip Joint Damage

Following are the treatments/procedures for hip joint damage:

1. Anti-inflammatories

Anti-inflammatories drugs, also called non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (usually abbreviated as NSAIDs or NAIDs), are being used majorly for treating mild to moderate hip pain associated with hip damage or inflammation.

2. Physical therapy

Physical therapy is another integral procedure and the multi-faceted team approach to examine and treat hip damage. It is done under the extensive care of specialised hip replacement and medical management team.

3. Injections

The injections are most commonly prescribed to patients for relieving their pain and also diagnosing the direct cause of the hip pain.

• Intra-articular Injections are injected directly into the hip joint to provide immediate relief
• Psoas injections are injected under ultrasound. These are prescribed when the diagnosis is considered to be symptomatic psoas tendon that further runs outside the hip joint
• Trochanteric Bursa Injections are recommended for patients who have bursitis on the outer part of their hip and also for those whom anti-inflammatory and physical therapy have not provided any relief

What Happens After hip joint replacement Surgery?

After hip joint replacement surgery, you will be shifted to a recovery area for some time while the anaesthesia wears off. In the recovery room, the medical staff will monitor your pulse, alertness, blood pressure, comfort or pain level and the requirement for medications.

Some patients are allowed to leave on the same day after the hip replacement surgery as most are admitted to the hospital for one or two nights. During your hospital