Total
Hip Replacement Surgery
The simple pleasures of life can often be taken away by a stiff, painful
hip. In some cases, a problem hip may make even the simplest movements
a painful experience.
Thanks to medical and technical advances, your orthopedic surgeon
can often relieve much of this pain and discomfort with a total hip
replacement. Total hip replacements are a reliable and safe surgical
means of improving the overall function of the hip.
Problem hips usually have a tendency to worsen as time goes bye.
Activities such as walking, getting up from a chair, or sex can
become extremely painful experiences. Eventually, pain and stiffness
may prevent you from enjoying many of your normal, daily activities.
Putting on socks and shoes becomes difficult or impossible and the
sufferer's independence is lost. He becomes dependent on the help
of others.
Hip
disease can result from a variety of causes.
Osteoarthritis, which occurs when the cartilage in the hip joint begins
to break down, is the most common cause of hip pain and disability.
When the cartilage begins to break down, the hip bones begin to wear
against each other - resulting in pain and limitation of movement.
Rheumatoid arthritis, injuries, developmental faults, and loss of
blood supply are also frequent causes of a painful problem hip.
Sometimes a hip replacement operation, which was done some years in
the past, begins to give pain. This may be due to the loosening of
the implants or rarely to an infection. A repeat operation may become
necessary for pain and restricted function,or for loss of bone substance:
this is called Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty.
For details see the section devoted to this subject in "Hip Joint
Surgery Technologies". |
