Hip Replacement – 4

Care for the new joint
The below tips can help your new hip to adapt faster and more effectively
Avoid twisting the new hip
Take small treads when turning around
Avoid bending hip beyond 90 degrees
Avoid pivoting on the ball of the foot.
No crossing legs, one over the other.
Avoid low toilet seats and seating chairs
Avoid doing any activity that gives discomfort to the new hip
Post-surgery avoid putting strain on the wound, example avoid lying down on one side.
Recovery
Once out of the operation theatre, you will have a big dressing on the wound. The hip is kept in the right position by lying flat on the back with pillow in between the legs. You would be given something to eat and drink, depending on your condition.
You will be helped to get up and walk as soon as possible. In a day or two, you will be able to sit, stand and even walk with some help. These activities might seem uncomfortable in the beginning and there could be swelling in legs and feet. You might be given a course of antibiotics to prevent any infection and a injections to avoid blood clotting in legs. A physiotherapist will help you with exercises that need to be regularly done for muscle strengthening. They will also advice dos and don’ts to take proper care of the new hip.
You will need to stay in the hospital for about 10days. At home, you will feel exhausted as the surgery wound does take time to heal and you need help for doing any and every activity, initially. You would also need a physiotherapist to visit you at home to see your recovery overtime and to help you with any changes in the exercise schedules.
The surgery pain recedes with time, although you might face a different type of pain, which is temporary and will finally disappear. However, if pain in the new joint increases or there is redness or fluid in the joint, you need to contact your surgeon.
You would need a review with the surgeon 6-12 weeks after surgery and then again a year later to check on the progress, followed by a five yearly check for an x-ray to ensure all is well.
One can get back to their normal routine in maximum three months after surgery. Rigorous sports and activities such as riding or skiing should be avoided to prevent damage to the hip joint. In normal cases, driving can be resumed after 6 weeks. Getting in and out of the car should be done carefully, by first getting in backwards and then swinging both legs inside. One can get back to work in 6-12 weeks depending on the condition. You must check with the surgeon when it is fine to have sex. Usually, 6 – 8 weeks is a good time.
In 80% of the hip replacement cases, the implants last more than 20years. Revision surgery, if required, is more complex and lengthy, and has more risks than the first surgery, although, the success rate has improved over time. Hip can be replaced as many number of times; however, the effectiveness reduces each time. To replace a hip implant, one needs to have a bone graft, where in a bone piece is extracted from another part of the body and grafted onto the hip. The recovery takes longer time but success rate is good.
Future prospects
Several ways are being worked upon to bring improvements in future
Using stronger prosthetic materials with better life and mobility
Advancements in resurfacing techniques and “cementless” implants.
New type of joints like ceramic on plastic and ceramic on ceramic.
Minimal invasive surgery or MIS to minimize size of surgical incision.
CAS or computer assisted surgery to create images or pictures or of the hip joint for superior precision and visibility.