Total hip replacement may be an option for patients who have severe hip arthritis that interferes with their everyday lives. For these patients, nonsurgical treatments may not provide sufficient pain relief. Total hip replacement restores the natural pain-free movement of the hip joint. Patients are often able to return to their favorite activities, including running, biking, golfing, and tennis.
Candidates for Total Hip Replacement
An in-depth exam is required to determine whether or not a patient is a candidate for total hip replacement. If you are experiencing the following symptoms, it may be beneficial to schedule an examination with a qualified surgeon like our ROC Specialists.
- Hip pain and/or stiffness that limits your mobility
- Hip pain that persists even while at rest
- Symptoms that remain severe even with nonsurgical treatments like physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medications
Total Hip Replacement Procedure
During a total hip replacement, ROC Specialists remove the damaged portions of the hip joint and replaces them with implants designed to mimic natural hip movement. ROC Specialists perform the vast majority of his total hip replacements in an outpatient surgical center called Oregon Surgical Institute. An outpatient setting offers several potential benefits for patients, including the ability to avoid an overnight hospital stay, reduced risk of infection, and the ability to recover in the comfort of your own home.
There are different approaches and methods that an orthopedic surgeon might use for a total hip replacement. In recent years, anterior hip replacements have become very popular among surgeons and patients. During an anterior hip replacement, an incision is made at the front of the hip to access the joint and complete the procedure. This approach has been touted as a means to decrease the risk of hip dislocation after surgery. However, it has been scientifically proven that anterior hip replacement has the same, albeit low, risk of dislocation as other hip replacement approaches. The anterior approach also has a high risk of nerve problems that can cause numbness or pain down the front of the thigh. As such, ROC Specialists do not recommend anterior hip replacement.
Instead, ROC Specialists use a minimally invasive posterior approach. The posterior approach has been one of the most common hip replacement approaches over time. However, the posterior approach no longer requires the large incision that it did in the past. ROC Specialists use minimally invasive techniques when performing hip replacement surgery, which allow him to complete the procedure through much smaller incisions. This greatly improves the recovery process for patients and allows them to return home the day of surgery.
Recovering from Total Hip Replacement
Advances in total hip replacement, like outpatient surgery, have greatly improved the recovery process for patients. When patients have their hip replacements done in an outpatient surgical center, they avoid having to stay in a hospital with sick people, decreasing the risk of infection after surgery.
ROC Specialists use multimodal pain management techniques, which helps patients start walking and weightbearing as soon as possible after surgery. Advanced pain management combined with early movement allows patients to return home the day of surgery.
Upon returning home, patients will need to use an assistive device like crutches, a cane, or a walker to get around until they are able to safely walk without it. Physical therapy is an important part of the recovery process, and will help to strengthen and improve range of motion in the hip. ROC Specialists will advise when it is safe to return to all normal activities, though most patients have no activity restrictions 6-9 months after surgery.
To learn more about our Hip Replacement Orthopedic Specialists, click here.