Is Both Hip Replacement Surgery Successful?
Do you need to replace both hips as per a doctor’s recommendation? Are you worried about whether it is safe and successful? Read this article. Learn about bilateral hip replacement surgery! Go through what to expect, the success rate and more!
Anatomy of Hip
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. It forms when the femoral head (ball) connects with the acetabulum (socket).
Apart from the ball and socket, there are soft-tissue structures as well. These are ligaments, tendons, bursae, synovium, labrum, cartilage, muscles etc.
Everything together creates the anatomy of the hip joint.
Bilateral (Both) Hip Replacement Surgery
Hip replacement surgery is a procedure to treat chronic, intolerable and debilitating hip pain. A hip replacement procedure involves removing the damaged parts of the hip and then resurfacing them using artificial parts.
An orthopedic surgeon only removes parts that are causing intense pain (or cause of the problem).
The hip replacement implant has four components:
- The acetabular cup or the socket part
- The polyethylene liner, or a structure that acts as cartilage for gliding movements
- The femoral ball
- The femoral stem
When both hip joints are damaged (or worn out) and need replacements, the treatment is called bilateral hip replacement surgery.
Visit the link: hip replacement surgery in India. Book your appointment with the best hip replacement surgeon and plan your surgery.
Success Rate
Is this a successful procedure?
Yes, bilateral hip replacement surgery is safe and successful. Due to advanced technologies, the surgery doesn’t even have any major complications postoperatively.
Yet, the health of the patient influences the outcomes a lot. Good health is a major positive factor that decides how successful the surgery will be for a particular patient!
In general, it is a successful surgical treatment that has helped many people live a pain-free and comfortable life. The surgery helped them get rid of chronic hip pain forever!
Why One Needs This Surgery
Surgery becomes unavoidable under the following circumstances.
- Painkillers don’t offer lasting relief from hip pain
- While walking, the pain becomes intense even when using a walker or walking stick
- You cannot sleep because of hip pain and so you have to take pain medicines
- Reactive Arthritis
- Climbing stairs has become difficult or impossible
- Difficulty in standing up after sitting for long
The following are the major causes of such hip pain.
Osteoarthritis:This condition refers to wear and tear of cartilage or soft-tissue covers over bone ends in the hip joint. Due to cartilage damage, the ball and socket parts of the hip rub against each other during motion. The hip becomes stiff, causing pain and making activity difficult.
This condition is part of aging. Over time, cartilage wears down and sustains damage due to normal day-to-day functioning!
Rheumatoid Arthritis:Also called RA in short, this is an autoimmune disorder. In this condition, the immune system attacks its own healthy cells and tissues in joints. What causes this behaviour of the immune system is not clear. However, once this happens, it leads to inflammation in more than one joint at the same time.
Osteonecrosis:An injury like a fracture or dislocation might block blood supply to the ball portion of the hip joint. This blockage leads to the death of bone tissues in the femoral head. Bone death causes pain and makes walking challenging.
Damage from Steroids:People who consume steroids, also called corticosteroids, regularly often suffer from AVN in the long run. It leads to chronic hip pain and mobility issues due to irreversible damage to the femoral head or the ball part of the hip joint.
Steroids are anti-inflammatory medicines that are used to treat various health conditions. So, they are not primarily bad. Yet long-term use has its side effects, especially when consumed without a doctor’s prescription.
All these causes require surgery to treat the condition of the hip and eliminate chronic and debilitating pain from it.
What to Expect
The following are the things you should expect if you are planning bilateral hip replacement surgery.
Before Surgery
During the consultation, you will have to inform your surgeon about the symptoms or discomfort you are experiencing. Your surgeon will look into your medical history and all the medications you are taking.
After that, the doctor will check hip joint motion and muscle strength (physical examination). Furthermore, blood and imaging tests can be ordered to proceed with the diagnosis further.
X-ray, MRI and CT scans are major imaging tests. They help learn about the internal conditions of the hip joint.
Don’t forget to ask your questions. If you have any doubts, clear them. A surgeon will help you get all the education you need before the surgery.
Your surgeon will also tell you to reduce the consumption of alcohol or other psychoactive substances before the surgery. Consuming them can interfere with the outcomes and delay the recovery as well.
During Surgery
You will change into hospital clothes, typically a patient’s surgery gown. Afterwards, you will be given anaesthesia. And the surgeon will proceed with the surgery.
Surgery includes exposing the hip joint and removing the damaged parts. Then, with the help of artificial parts, the operated joint is resurfaced.
After surgery, you will be taken to the recovery room!
After Surgery
Many people with robust health can go home a few days after the surgery; it often amounts to 3-4 days.
However, you might also need more time in the hospital. Your surgeon will decide on such things according to the conditions at that time.
The medical staff including your surgeon will also pay attention to fighting infection possibilities, blood clot prevention and physiotherapy as part of rehabilitation after the surgery.
Antibiotics are given to prevent infection at the site of operation.
Blood clot prevention involves techniques like helping the patient move as soon as possible, prescription of blood-thinning medicines and compression methods.
Physiotherapy includes exercises and injury prevention education. A physiotherapist teaches the patient who has undergone the surgery various types of exercises, which help strengthen muscles and improve joint function.
A patient generally takes about 2 to 3 months for complete recovery. However, it might take longer for some people! Recovery varies from person to person. To know about the recovery in detail, refer to the following link: hip replacement surgery recovery time.
Conclusion
Yes, having both your hips replaced is successful and safe. If your health is excellent, there will be no complications postoperatively at all. Your surgeon will conduct a variety of examinations and tests before performing surgery and if they think the surgery shouldn’t be done, they will inform you in advance accordingly.
For example, if you are diabetic and your HbA1c test is above 7.5 or 8, your surgeon will not recommend surgery. They will delay the treatment and work on reducing the sugar levels first.
Consult an orthopedic surgeon if you have more personal queries.