Hip Replacement Surgery How to treat hip osteoarthritis (OA)

Hip replacement surgery is a treatment for patients with hip OA caused by damage or deterioration of the hip joint, which causes pain in the hip joint, hip deformity or other symptoms that make it impossible to use or live a normal life.

Surgical treatment is required when the patient has been fully treated with physical therapy, injections, or medication, but does not improve the symptoms.

This article will introduce everyone to hip replacement surgery that is not as frightening as it may seem and can help all patients return to their normal lives.

 

What is prosthetic hip joint and hip replacement surgery?

Prosthetic hip joint is a medical synthetic material created to replace the natural hip joint, made of metal alloy, titanium, cobalt, chromium, or ceramic, etc. This artificial joint can be safely in the human body and can be used for ten years.

Hip replacement surgery is a surgery to remove the original affected hip joint and replace it with a prosthetic hip so that the patients can move their body conveniently and return to their daily routine.

 

Groups at risk of developing hip OA

The major groups facing hip OA and require hip replacement surgery can be divided into 2 groups as follows:

The senior patient, who has been using the joint for a long time, is a group that can be found frequently and in large numbers caused by age-related deterioration or long-term use of the hip joint.

Patients with other causes or earlier diseases, Patients with hip OA caused by different causes such as long-term use of steroids, regular alcohol consumption, accidents or injuries to the hip joint, as well as illnesses such as rheumatoid arthritis or previous hip infections, etc.

 

Is hip replacement surgery frightening?

Hip replacement surgery is not as frightening as it seems. At kdms, a robot assisted in joint surgery is used to assist Surgeons in performing surgery, which will help the surgery be more efficient and accurate. The steps for robotic surgery are as follows:

 

• • First, CT scans of the hip bones are processed, and 3D images of the patient’s bones are created to begin planning.

• • The Surgeon will use a computer program to select the size and position of the artificial hip. This step allows for the desired size, prosthesis angle, and position. Before the surgery, a surgical plan is developed to suit each patient’s bone condition or hip joint problems.

• • The robotic arm assists Surgeons in cutting or rewinding bones to the desired position and angle.

• • The robot will help control the position of the hip joint to achieve the opening and inverted angles as specified by the Surgeon, which will be suitable for each patient.

Robotic hip replacement surgery will allow the Surgeon to adjust the balance of the hip joint at the level of 1 millimeter or 1 degree so that the hip joint is most suitable for the patient’s body.

In addition, it reduces injuries and mistakes and prevents complications during surgery, resulting in faster patient recovery. Good prosthetic joint movement and stable joints enable patients to return to everyday life and improve their quality of life.

 

Preparation before undergoing hip prosthesis surgery

Preparing for hip replacement surgery is similar to general surgery such as physical examination, maintaining good health, or having enough sleep, etc.

However, patients with hip OA who will undergo hip replacement surgery must pay great attention to 3 things as follows:

Well control of underlying diseases

The first thing that patients need to prepare well before undergoing hip replacement surgery is to control their underlying diseases because some diseases can affect the surgery or cause complications such as:

 

• • Diabetes: If left uncontrolled and allowed to rise, it can result in diabetes infection.

• • Pressure disease: If patients do not take medication and undergo surgery, it may result in more bleeding than usual during surgery.

Patients with underlying medical conditions should consult with their doctor about how to adjust their medication or their behavior before undergoing surgery to prevent complications that may follow.

If the patients neglect and do not control their conditions well, it can result in a higher risk of complications, and various symptoms may occur in the future.

Refrain from taking medications that affect surgery

Patients should refrain from taking certain medications before undergoing hip replacement surgery, such as:

• • Blood clot dissolving drugs should not be taken 3-7 days before surgery (consult your doctor to stop taking drug)

• • Antiplatelet medications should not be taken 7 days before surgery (consult your doctor to stop taking drug)

• • Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs should not be taken about 7 days before surgery

• • Herb Supplements should not be taken about 14 days before surgery

These drugs may affect surgery, such as slow blood clotting, increased bleeding, or blood clots after surgery, and may also result in other complications during or after surgery.

Refrain from smoking

For patients who smoke, they should refrain from smoking at least 2 weeks before undergoing hip replacement surgery to improve lung and tracheal function. It will help prevent respiratory infections, wound infections and complications that may occur in the future.

If the patient does not refrain from smoking before undergoing surgery. It can affect the body and respiratory system, which can result in poor lung function and blood vessel problems. And the surgical wound heals more slowly.

 

What should you do after hip replacement surgery?

At present, after hip replacement surgery, recovery time is minimal, patients can quickly return to nearly normal or normal hip activity. However, patients still need to take care of themselves with strict practices and precautions. In order to return to normal life quickly and to prevent complications from occurring, there are 3 things that patients should do and be careful about after surgery:

Be careful when making certain movements

Be careful when making certain movements

Although patients can walk immediately on the day of surgery and can return home in just 3-4 days, patients still need to be careful when moving in specific postures during the first 2 months, such as the posture where you have to twist your feet outwards, sitting in a folded posture and bending over to collect things on the floor, etc., to prevent complications with the hip joint that may follow.

Exercises the muscles around the hip joint

What patients should do regularly is to exercise the muscles around the hip joint, which requires the patient to exercise the muscles according to the program recommended by the doctor and physical therapist so that the muscles around the hip joint become healthy and can be used normally faster.

Health Care and Underlying Disease

The most important thing that patients must do before and after hip prosthesis surgery is to always take care of their health and medical conditions to prevent complications after surgery and to be able to return to normal hip joint function quickly.

 

Benefits of Hip Replacement Surgery

The benefit of hip replacement surgery is that it helps to relieve patients from feeling hurt or pain from the deterioration of the hip joint. This also includes walking with weight without feeling hurt, walking normally, moving their hips well without stiffness and the leg returns to its normal length as the other leg. In case that there is no hip OA on the other side, hip replacement is the most useful and effective. For patients with severe symptoms or severe hip deformity. It helps patients to return to their movements as before and can live their daily lives more happily.

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Hip Prosthesis Surgery

Those who are looking for information about hip replacement surgery may have questions about surgery that are still worried or concerned but cannot find information, so we have compiled three frequently asked questions about hip replacement for everyone as follows:

When can I walk after hip prosthesis surgery?

Patients can walk immediately after undergoing hip replacement surgery, but they may need to use a support device for the first 1-2 weeks because the muscles around the hip joint are not healthy and after that, the patient can live a normal life or almost 100%.

How long does a hip prosthesis last?

Based on data accumulated worldwide, it has been found that hip prostheses have a lifespan of up to 30 years, and some prostheses can be used for a more extended period. Today’s medical field has become more developed, so there is a chance to make hip prostheses more durable.

Although hip replacement surgery can be successful, some patients may experience problems with their artificial joints due to various causes. These include accidents resulting in bone fractures and prosthetic damage, improper movement that severely affects the hip joint, weight gain, inadequate management of health conditions and chronic diseases, and various complications. These factors may reduce the longevity of the artificial hip, potentially requiring corrective surgery or replacement with a new prosthetic joint.

Can a hip prosthesis harm the body?

Hip prostheses are harmless in our body because they are safe synthetic materials that have been developed for a long time so that they can be used well with the human body.

Hip replacement surgery is a treatment for hip OA that shows clear results of the changes after surgery. This is commonly used for patients who cannot be treated by other medications. It is a treatment that uses robotic-assisted surgery technology.

Robotic surgery is not as scary as it seems, because this technology will increase the accuracy of hip replacement surgery. Shorten the surgical time with accurate calculations and result in faster recovery for patients. Return to normal movement and return to daily life to full efficiency without worry.