Hip replacement involves the removal of diseased parts from the hip joint and replacing them with a prosthetic implant. Typically, patients are prescribed revision total hip replacement when other remedies fail to relieve pain. On the pre-surgery day, patients can opt to use a cane or walker for stability, receive physical therapy, undergo medication, and other preparations before hip replacement therapy.
Despite the success of hip replacement, several common myths prevent people from coming in for the surgery when they have severe hip pain.
Myth #1: Hip Replacement Surgery Need to Be Put Off as Long as Possible
Many delay hip replacement surgery because they believe it will prevent them from doing what they like to do each day and from living life to the fullest. The truth of the matter is that the more years go by and the longer you wait for the operation, the harder it will be to recover from the surgery. By the time you are getting the procedure, your already damaged joints cause pressure on the rest of your body, and you might become weaker and deconditioned.
Myth #2: No One Under a Certain Age Should Have Hip Replacement
Hip replacement most famously reverberates with old age, but it might be true that the hip joint undergoes degeneration in old age; however, anyone experiencing severe or chronic hip pain can be a potential candidate for hip replacement surgery, and age is not a barrier. In fact, previously, no orthopedic surgeon would have been too keen to operate on patients younger in age as the prosthetic had to last only for 20 years or less.
Myth #3: Hip Pain is Just a Part of Aging You Have to Deal With
There are very few causes of pain that simply have to be tolerated in this century. Perhaps osteoarthritis is the inevitable companion of old age, but nobody needs to live with lifelong hip pain. When pain medicines and cortisone injections are ineffectual, total hip replacement surgery can eliminate all hip pain due to osteoarthritis.
Myth #4: You Won't Walk for Weeks After Hip Replacement Surgery
This was true previously but improvement in surgical techniques of hip replacement and drugs have allowed people who undergo hip replacement surgery the ability to walk the same day of the surgery. Most patients are given permission to drive within two to three weeks. Full recovery and physiotherapy usually take between three to six months.
Myth #5: People with Severe Hip Arthritis Cannot Have a Hip Replacement
In reality, those with severe hip arthritis are ideal candidates for hip replacement since osteoarthritis is the leading cause of deterioration in the hip joint. Other causes usually include broken bones, tumors, and injury. Only if the patient's health has become greatly deteriorated do most orthopedic surgeons decide not to perform a hip replacement.
Myth #6: Hip Prosthetics and Procedures Are the Same for Everyone
Some choose not to have hip replacement surgery because they claim that it's something of a one size fits all procedure, which doesn't meet each patient's needs. However, there are actually three different methods a surgeon may perform in a hip replacement surgery including direct anterior, anterolateral, or posterolateral. All the approaches to muscle sparing are better than older techniques and result in faster recovery.
Myth #7: All Hip Replacement Surgeries Have Complications
Complications are part of the story with any surgery; however, because of technology and medical advancements, complications are fewer and fewer. What were once serious concerns with hip replacement surgeries - dislocation, blood clot formation, and infection - are often considered to occur within just a few weeks of surgery. Newer surgical techniques, faster recovery protocols, better prosthetic design and materials, have made hip replacement surgery safer and more effective than ever.
Myth #8: Hip Replacement Surgery Always Involves Replacing the Whole Hip
While it is true that hip replacement surgery always involves surgically removing damaged cartilage and bone from the hip joint and replacing them with metal or plastic parts, there are actually two types of hip replacements: total and partial. A total hip replacement involves the entire joint replacement, including both the hip socket and the ball on the end of the thigh bone that fits into it. A partial replacement typically only involves the surgical replacement of the ball on the thigh bone.
Myth #9: Total Hip Replacement Interferes with Normal Sexual Activity
There is a misconception that hip replacement surgery will interfere with normal sexual activity. In fact, total hip replacement can often alleviate pain and increase mobility, hence enhancing overall quality of life, including sexual function. At the same time, there can be temporary precautions and guidelines during recovery after the surgery. These are typically short-term and should not cause long-term disruptions in your sexual activities.
The Bottom Line
The facts regarding hip replacement will enable you to make rational decisions for your health. Avoid myths and do not wait longer with serious cases of hip aches. You need to find a specialist to get the right treatment. Dr. Simon Thomas is a specialist orthopedic surgeon with extensive experience in hip replacement surgeries.
His competence and patient-centric approach ensure you receive the finest treatments. Of course, look up to Dr. Simon Thomas for himself to take you through this journey to hip replacement surgery and close you in on your mobility and quality of life. For further information or to book a consultation for right hip total replacement, visit his clinic in New Delhi or check out his website.
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