hip replacement surgery recovery time

Tips for a Successful Total Hip Replacement Recovery

February 2, 2023March 27, 2024
by Eva Hospital

Surgery is one of the most crucial & onerous steps in any treatment plan. Surgery may be necessary for various reasons, including the confirmation of a diagnosis, the removal of a growth or obstruction of tissue, the repair or realignment of tissues or organs, the implantation of devices, the rerouting of blood vessels, or the transplantation of tissues or organs. Additionally, some people choose surgery for cosmetic purposes.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) estimates that more than 450,000 total hip replacement surgeries are performed annually in the U.S.A. By 2030, this number is anticipated to increase to 635,000 annual surgeries.

A total hip replacement involves removing the damaged hip joint parts and replacing them with artificial metal, plastic, or ceramic ball and socket components. Experts must carry out the surgery to ensure safe and successful results because it is an extensive procedure with a protracted recovery period and some risk of complications. The patient is advised to walk with the help of a walker or other assistive equipment under the supervision of medical professionals after having hip replacement surgery for 24 hours. The doctor advises the patient to move cautiously following surgery to safeguard the replacement hip as it heals.

Read on to discover the steps you may personally do to speed up your hip replacement surgery recovery time.

Adapt an Exercise Routine

After surgery, the patient must gradually move the reconstructed hip joint, and eventually, the movement must get progressively more flexible. Patients can gain from physical therapy to strengthen the muscles surrounding their hip joints and improve mobility. On the first day, the patient can typically sit, stand, and try walking. Later, a walker or crutches can be used for additional activities.

Moreover, patients must include a 20–30 minute exercise session in their recovery program once mild physical activity is allowed. This exercise session must be done twice or three times daily. Supervised hydrotherapy and physiotherapy are also crucial for healing in the weeks following surgery. Before receiving advice from the orthopedic doctor, the patient must refrain from participating in sports, swimming, hiking, running, or working out.

Stick to a Healthy Diet

The “hip joint” is the largest weight-bearing joint of our body. If the patient is overweight, the physical stress on the new hip prosthesis may increase the risk of postoperative complications and cartilage tissue deterioration.

Therefore, a healthy, balanced diet is crucial while recovering from increasing the longevity of the orthopedic prosthesis. For speedy recovery, try incorporating all the vital nutrients into your diet.

Practice Physical Exercise to Amplify the Circulation of Blood

To maintain the health of the operated site, adequate blood circulation is required. The patient must take precautions to prevent any blood clots or blocked blood flow. To ensure healthy blood flow, perform the following exercises:

Squeezing the thigh and calf repeatedly
Leg exercises for full motility
Walking with or without assistance from a cane or walker

Furthermore, to maintain long-term health and mobility following surgery, the patient must adhere to and take care of the crucial steps and measures mentioned and advised by their doctor.

Preparing Home for Post-Surgery Comfort

After a total hip replacement surgery, patients observe difficulty in optimal motility and performing everyday house chores. If you know your surgery schedule, it is essential to make some modifications in your home beforehand. This helps you efficiently access your belongings and other essentials with minimal body movement.

Ensure to keep a caretaker, family, or acquaintance to help you run daily errands, including cooking, cleaning, bathing, and more.

Deciding to undergo total hip replacement surgery is a difficult task. It is recommended if your injured or diseased hip leads to consistent all-day pain, stiffness in a hip, or debilitating pain that affects your everyday activities.

Pay More Attention to Wound Care

To make your total hip replacement surgery successful, you must take good care of the wound or affected area. Ensure proper wound dressing to prevent excessive bleeding, fluid absorption, and additional care for newly forming tissues. It results in a favorable environment for a quick healing process.

Most of your healing process is followed at home, so it is pivotal for you to take proper wound care. With proper care, you can avoid a risk of infection.

The infection can complicate your condition in any surgery, which is more severe in hip joint replacement surgery. In this condition, bacteria might stick to the implant, which creates problems in treating infection. To rectify this medical complication, you might need to undergo surgery again.

Eva Hospital: One-Stop Destination for Unparalleled Care

Effective and speedy recovery from a complete hip replacement is made possible by taking careful precautions and deliberate efforts during the healing process. Contact the top orthopedic surgeons at Eva Hospital regarding total hip and knee replacement surgery.

Get in touch with Dr. Tanveer Singh Bhutani, a seasoned orthopedic surgeon with years of training and expertise. He has completed several hip replacement operations and relieves people with agonizing hip joint pain so they can get back to their daily activities.

Schedule an appointment for more information on total hip replacement surgery from our experts!

Eva Hospital

Arthritis and Hip Replacement Surgery

November 26, 2021March 29, 2024
by Eva Hospital

Introduction

A procedure in which a doctor surgically removes a treatment for arthritis in hips and knees and replaces it with an artificial joint mostly made from metal and plastic components is called Hip Replacement Surgery.

One of the most suitable and effective options after all other treatments have not been able to provide adequate pain relief.

Hip replacement surgery involves removing parts of the hip joint that are causing problems, mostly the ball and socket and replacing them with new parts made from metal, plastic or ceramic.

Hip Anatomy

One of the body’s largest joints, the hip, is a ball-and-socket joint that allows a good range of movement in any direction.

The upper end of the femur or the femoral head forms the ball of the hip joint and is located at the top of the thigh bone, which rotates within a hollow or socket in the pelvis, called the acetabulum.

The bone surfaces of the ball and socket are covered by a soft tissue called Articular cartilage, buffering the ends of the bones and facilitating them to move easily.

A thin tissue which is called synovial membrane surrounds the hip joint and makes fluid that lubricates the cartilage eliminating almost all friction during hip movement.

The ligaments (bands of tissues) connect the ball to the socket and provide stability to the joint.

Common Causes of Hip Pain

The top most cause of chronic hip pain & disability is Arthritis.

Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis,

and traumatic arthritis are its most common forms.

Osteoarthritis is an age-related “wear and tear” type of arthritis that generally occurs in people 50 years of age and older.
The cartilage which cushions the bones of the hip wears away causing the bones to rub against each other, resulting in hip pain & stiffness.
Rheumatoid arthritis: The most common type of a group of disorders is termed “inflammatory arthritis”, Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease in which the synovial membrane becomes swollen and thickened, damaging the cartilage eventually, leading to pain and stiffness.
Post-traumatic arthritis: A severe hip injury or fracture can sometimes damage the cartilage, leading to hip pain and stiffness over time.
Childhood hip disease: There may be hip problems in some infants and children which even when successfully treated during childhood, may still cause arthritis later on in life as sometimes the hip may not grow in a normal manner and affect the joint surfaces.

Role of Surgery

The smooth articular cartilage wears away and becomes frayed and rough in the hip with Osteoarthritis.

If your hip has been damaged by arthritis, common actions such as walking or sitting, wearing shoes and socks etc may be painful and difficult. One may even feel uncomfortable while resting.

If the symptoms are not adequately relieved by medications, changes in everyday activities, and the use of walking supports, you may consider hip replacement surgery.

A safe and effective procedure, hip replacement surgery can relieve the pain, increase motion, and help get back to leading a normal, pain-free life.

Age or weight are no restrictions for the total hip replacements.

Total hip replacements have a high success rate at all ages, ranging from the young teenager with juvenile arthritis to the elderly patient with degenerative arthritis.

Surgery

Hip Replacement surgery is a procedure which usually takes from 1 to 2 hours. The ortho specialist near me removes the damaged cartilage & bone.

The damaged femoral head is replaced with a metal stem that is placed into the hollow centre of the femur, placing a metal or ceramic ball on the upper part of the stem. This ball acts as a replacement for the damaged femoral head.

The damaged cartilage surface of the socket is removed & replaced with a metal socket, using screws to hold the socket in place.

The surgeon then positions new metal, plastic, or ceramic implants to restore the alignment and function of the hip.

Activities To Avoid After Hip Replacement Surgery

For about six to 12 months after hip replacement surgery, swinging or twisting on the involved leg has to be avoided and the patient should not cross the involved leg past the midline of the body also avoiding to turn it inward or bend at the hip past 90 degrees.

The physical therapist provides techniques and adaptive equipment to help one follow the guidelines and precautions while performing daily activities. Following the therapist’s recommendations is extremely important.

Recovery

The success of the hip replacement surgery largely depends on how well one follows the instructions of the orthopaedic surgeon, regarding home care during the first few weeks after surgery.

Is Hip Replacement Surgery Safe?

Having been performed for several years now Hip replacements surgery and surgical techniques are highly successful and safe especially when performed by an experienced orthopaedic surgeon like Dr Tanveer Bhutani at Eva Hospital Ludhiana, which is well equipped to perform these kinds of intricate and sensitive surgeries.

An experienced surgeon will prescribe you adequate medications to help prevent blood clots, infection and bleeding.

Life of the Replaced Joint

Improvements in surgical techniques and artificial joint materials are making these implants highly successful.

The realistic activities following total hip replacement include unlimited walking, swimming, golf, driving, hiking, biking, dancing, and other low-impact sports and with appropriate activity modification, hip replacements can last for many years

Eva Hospital

Types of Hip Replacement Surgeries

April 30, 2021March 30, 2024
by Eva Hospital

Hip Replacement is a very successful surgery in which parts of the hip joint are rebuilt with artificial implants.

Also known as hip arthroplasty, it involves the removal and replacement of parts of the pelvis and femur (thighbone) to recreate the hip joint.

It is performed primarily to relieve pain and stiffness induced by arthritis. It improves the patient’s mobility so that he/she can return to a normal life.

The operation may also be performed to treat improper hip growth or injuries such as broken bones, etc.

If you’ve fallen or had an injury resulting in a hip fracture, hip replacement surgery may be the answer. What type of procedure you would require hinges on the type and extent of your situation.

There are mainly 3 types of hip replacement:

Total hip replacement
Partial hip replacement
Hip resurfacing.

Total Hip Replacement

The most common type of hip replacement surgery is total replacement. In this surgery, worn-out or damaged sections of your hip are replaced with artificial implants. The socket is replaced with a strong plastic cup, possibly along with a titanium metal shell.

The femoral head is removed and rebuilt with a ceramic or alloy ball which is connected to a metal stem going into the top of the femur.

Minimally Invasive Total Hip Replacement

Whilst the traditional surgical approach of total hip replacement involved a single, long incision(cut) to view and reach the hip joint, minimally invasive surgery uses a different approach.

Instead, one or two smaller incisions are made. The purpose of making smaller incisions is to reduce pain and speed recovery.

In this type of total hip replacement, the surgical technique is similar, but there is less severing of tissue encompassing the hip.

The artificial implants used are the same as those used for traditional hip replacement. However, specially developed surgical devices are utilised to prepare the socket and the femoral head and to place the implants appropriately.

Unlike traditional total hip replacement, the minimally invasive technique may not be suitable for all patients. Your orthopaedic surgeon will discuss different surgical options with you.

Partial Hip replacement

In this procedure, the orthopaedic surgeon replaces the femoral head with a prosthetic implant. The acetabulum, which is the cup of the hip socket, remains unchanged.

This method is regarded as a partial replacement because only the damaged parts of the joint are replaced instead of the entire joint.

For arthritic patients, partial replacement is not recommended primarily because arthritis degenerates most parts of the hip joint.

If a person shows symptoms of arthritis, your doctor would most probably suggest a total implant.

Hip Resurfacing

This is also a type of hip replacement surgery. The hip is a ball and socket joint in which the round head of the thigh fits into the round socket of the hip bone.

The socket contains cartilage to facilitate the smooth movement of the bones. When the joint is traumatised or degenerated, moving the thigh bone causes pain due to friction as bones rub against each other.

In this procedure, the doctor makes an incision to expose the joint. After that, he scrapes and covers the femoral head with a metallic covering.

A part of the deteriorated bone of the hip bone socket is also removed, to reinstate it with a metallic structure.

This surgery is different from traditional replacement severe

where the femoral head is entirely removed, rather than repairing or covering it. The hip bone socket is replaced though, similar to total replacement.

Which Surgery is Suitable for you?

Your surgeon conducts an orthopaedic evaluation to reaffirm which type of procedure you require. He considers the following

An evaluation with an orthopaedic surgeon consists of several factors:

Patients’ history. The surgeon asks questions about overall health, the discomfort, the level of pain, and what kind of disability you are facing, restricted movement and difficulty in performing routine tasks.
Clinical examination. The orthopaedic examines and evaluates your hip mobility, range of movement, strength, and alignment.
Radioactive Imaging. X-ray imaging is usually the first test done to assess the magnitude of damage or defect in the hip.
Additional tests. Many times, MRI scans are required to have a detailed look at the intricate bone, cartilage and soft tissues to decide on which type of surgery is suitable.

Hip conditions can be very disabling, affecting the quality of life very severely. You can consult our specialists at Eva Hospital to discuss your particular case.

There are also medical insurance and cashless hospitalisation facilities available. You will stay in the hospital for 4-6 days and receive physiotherapy assistance too.

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