Hip resurfacing surgery in India restores your mobility
People dread getting old. If you are Caucasian and approaching your forties, you may have already noticed that some of the things you did as a teenager aren’t that easy anymore. As a general rule, if you take care of yourself when you are young, getting old will be easier. Joint pains develop and progress to restrict your life style and stop you enjoying outdoor activities.
A lot of people will have to face as a part of the aging process one of those things is hip replacements for hip pain.
According to The National Institue of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases there are over 193000 hip replacements performed in the U.S. each year. In the UK, the numbers are about 5, 00000 per year.
Hip replacements have been the mainstay of treatment for hip arthritis. An alternative considered nowadays is a procedure called hip resurfacing. The main advantage that hip resurfacing has over a total hip replacement is the amount of bone removed. More bone is preserved in the top end of the thigh bone (femur) called the neck and head. During a resurfacing it is quite a bit less then the amount of bone that is removed during a total hip replacement. Is that a good thing or bad thing? It is a good thing because as a general rule a patient will recover quicker and go through less pain with a hip resurfacing then they would if they had a total hip replacement. Another advantage is that since the head size matches the natural size, there is little risk of dislocating your hip. This will give you a lot more freedom of activities.
When a young patient goes to an orthopedic surgeon because they are experiencing pain in their hip joints the doctor will more often than not try to put off surgery as long as possible. This is no longer necessary. Once the patient reports that the pain that they experience is beginning to limit their day to day activities surgery will be performed. However these young arthritic patients should understand that a hip replacement may have to be redone. This fact makes hip resurfacing a very viable option in younger patients.
The surgery itself can be performed in different ways. We use the approach from the side. Our incisions are quite small and measure about 7 inches. We prefer to keep the hip joint capsule in tact. Keeping the hip joint capsule intact is less damaging to the blood supply in the hip area and limits the risk of the patient dislocating their hip after surgery.
The surgery is performed by making a cut on the side of the hip.
Incision for Hip Resurfacing surgery
Hip resurfacing arthroplasty
The patient is generally released from the hospital 2-4 days after their surgery. Physical therapy starts almost immediately with a therapist helping the patient get out of bed on the very first day. Therapy progresses quickly with the patient walking around with crutches the second day after the surgery. The patient can expect to have physical therapy between 1-3 times a day while they are still in the hospital. Generally, the patient will be released when he or she is able to get out of bed, walk 75 feet with the aid of crutches or a walker, and is able to climb stairs.
If you are looking at having to have hip surgery, ask us at the Madras Joint Replacement center in India, whether or not you may be a candidate for hip resurfacing. If you are able to have your hip resurfaced over having to have it totally replaced, you will enjoy several advantages to a hip replacement.
