Hip Replacement Surgery On The Rise
Hip Replacement Surgery:
New Procedure Lowers Recovery Time
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the occurrence of hip replacement surgery is on the rise, including among senior patients age 75 and older. Fortunately, there’s a new hip-replacement procedure available that promises less pain and faster recovery.
Hip replacement is an operation in which a damaged hip joint is removed and replaced with an artificial joint. The most common reason for hip replacement is osteoarthritis, but there are many medical conditions that can damage the hip joint. Osteoarthritis occurs when the cartilage covering the ends of the bones where they meet to form joints breaks down. This causes the bones of the joint to rub together. Growths of bone, called spurs, may form around the joint. These changes lead to pain and stiffness.
Other possible causes of hip damage include injuries, fractures, bone tumors, rheumatoid arthritis, and osteonecrosis. Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the membrane that lines the joint. This can lead to pain, inflammation, and destruction of the joint. Osteonecrosis is a condition in which the blood supply to the bone is cut off, causing the bone to die.
Doctors often recommend hip replacement if pain and stiffness interfere with one’s ability to do everyday activities — particularly if other treatments have not helped.
During a traditional hip replacement, which lasts from 1 to 2 hours, the surgeon makes a 6- to 8-inch incision over the side of the hip through the muscles and removes the diseased bone tissue and cartilage from the hip joint, while leaving the healthy parts of the joint intact. Then the surgeon replaces the head of the femur and acetabulum with new, artificial parts. The new hip is made of materials that allow a natural gliding motion of the joint. Most patients find great relief after the procedure; however recovery time includes a few days in a hospital and about six weeks to fully recover.
However, The Wall Street Journal reports that a new, less invasive procedure can lessen the recovery period. Referred to as “same-day hip-replacement surgery”, patients are often on their feet and on their way to recovering in one day, without a hospital stay, and with much less postoperative pain.
This alternative procedure, called an anterior approach requires a surgeon to make a four-inch incision in front of the hip, close to the groin, before going in to install the new joint. The procedure is performed through an opening between muscles, thereby avoiding cutting through muscles and tendons as with the posterior approach. The ability to avoid cutting through muscle leads to less pain and shorter recovery time.
The decision to have hip replacement surgery is one you’ll want to make with your doctor and your family, but it’s good to know you have options. If you would like to consider hip replacement, ask your doctor to refer you for an evaluation to an orthopaedic surgeon, a doctor specially trained to treat problems with the bones and joints.
The surgeon must consider many factors before recommending hip replacement. Although most people who have hip replacement are between 60 and 80 years old, age is less of an issue than factors such as pain, disability, and general health. In fact, more and more people under the age of 60 are turning to hip replacement as a way to maintain function and quality of life as well.
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BLOG Date: Thursday, February 11, 2016
Writer: Ryan Allen