Hip Replacement Surgery - When do we need a Hip Replacement

Hip Replacement Surgery

Being one of the most important joints in the human body, hip joint not only allows us to run, walk or jump but bears our body weight as well as the force of strong muscles of hip and leg. 

Scientifically, this joint is termed as acetabulofemoral joint which is between the femur and acetabulum of the pelvis and its primary function is to support body weight in both static and dynamic postures.

Nowadays, people with a sedentary lifestyle are suffering from tight hip flexors and hip flexor pain. It is due to excessive sitting which deactivates muscles, though it can also be caused by standing for long periods.
The common people requiring hip replacement surgery age between 50 to 80, perhaps it is not much prevalent in youngsters.

What alerts us about hip replacement surgery?

A worn hip joint can be very problematic for anyone regardless of age, even it is most common with aged people but you can not deny it’s occurrence to youngsters.
Hip replacement surgeons usually diagnose hip arthritis by proper x-ray diagnosis. However, one should notice hip arthritis by the following symptoms:

• Pain during exercise can be one of the symptoms of hip pain. If you experience soreness or pain between hip and knee, after an exercise, you should check a doctor. 
• If someone is having stiffness in the hip and it is hard for him to bend for putting shoes or socks, so it is better to see a specialist. 
• If you are having a lot of difficulty in your hips while walking for small distances, perhaps you need a hip replacement surgeon by whom you can be prescribed to go through comprehensive diagnosis. 
• Moreover, a severe problem in standing by one leg can be a cause for a hip disorder.

Procedure for hip replacement surgery

It is wise to have a procedure by a veteran specialist because there are risks associated during surgery. Hip replacement surgeon goes through the following steps during treatment:

• The incision is made either front or side of the hip tissue layers. 
• Then leaving healthy bone intact, damaged or diseased bone is taken away. 
• After that prosthetic socket is implanted is pelvic bone and the damaged socket is replaced. 
• Lastly, the prosthetic ball is replaced with a round ball at the top of your femur.

Generally, hip replacement surgery takes about 1 to 2 hours to perform. 

Type of risks associated with hip replacement surgery 

• Stiffness in the hips: Sometimes after surgery patients develop scar tissue around the new hip that hinders its flexibility to make it stiff.  
• Damaging structures around joint: During hip surgery, there are chances of damaging soft tissues like muscles, ligaments and tendons. Even in some cases, it damages surrounding arteries, nerves and veins, consequently, weakening legs. 
• Severe pain: Sometimes there are chances of severe pain after surgery which can cause a lot of trouble for the patient.
• Change in legs length after surgery: Sometimes, to optimize joint stability legs can be of slightly shorter or longer size after surgery. Due to the loss of joint space from an arthritic hip, the affected leg may feel longer. 
• Inflammation or swelling: Sudden increase in swelling along with calf tenderness can be a sign of blood clot, for which immediate attention by hip replacement surgeon is advised.
• Allergic reaction: There are chances that bone cement gets an allergic reaction after surgery if bone cement is used to adhere to the hip prosthesis.

Useful tips for hip replacement surgery 

• Regularly squeeze your thigh and calf. 
• For utilizing the full range of leg motion, do motion exercises. 
• Maintain your healthy body weight before and after the surgery. 
• Take someone’s help to do household tasks after surgery because of your reduced efficiency. 
• Make a plan for coming back to routine activities, starting from light activities, within 3-6 weeks. 

Alternatives for hip replacement surgery

Many people consider treatment by hip replacement surgeon as a last resort due to risk associated with the procedure. However, there are several joint preservation procedures which are better alternatives than hip replacement surgery. To refer a few: 

• Injections: Injections of hyaluronic acid helps patients to reduce inflammation in joints. It has been well-studied by researchers and effectively treating patients with knee joint disorders as an alternative to joint replacement surgery. 
• Cellular or stem cell injections:By transferring tissue from one part of the body to another by the means of cellular injection is another alternative procedure to treat the hip joint. The transferred cells are capable of forming new tissue to heal hip joint without surgery. Although, due to its high cost, it is not common treatment among patients.
• Transplant by cartilage: During this procedure, cartilage is grown and placed in damaged space by a specialist team or to increase cartilage growth, bone is stimulated in joint. It is a good alternative for hip and knee replacement.
•  Partial Replacement:During this procedure, cartilage is grown and placed in damaged space by a specialist team or to increase cartilage growth, bone is stimulated in joint. It is a good alternative for hip and knee replacement.  
• Platelet-rich plasma therapy: Platelets are small cells in our body which induces blood clots to prevent bleeding. Injections of concentrated platelets are used to treat injured tendons, muscles, joints and ligaments. It is more successful with soft tissue problems than joint problems.

Dr Avtar Singh - Best Hip Replacement Surgeon in North India

Dr. Avtar Singh and his highly qualified, well-trained staff members are well known for providing expert health care solutions to the patient. Our main mission is to always provide the best quality of treatment with proper care, compassion, and efficiency because each patient deserves an independent life.
We always get appreciated for our advanced health care services. We have a team of renowned hip replacement surgeon who take complete responsibility for our patients and do not leave their hands in their tough times.
We have all types of latest medical gadgets to provide a pain-free and hassle-free treatment to the patients. Our experts provide the best orthopaedics and joints pain treatment in India and always work hard to serve suitable care or treatment to the patients in the country.
If you want to live a pain-free, disease-free and healthy life, connect with us now.