Hip Replacement Surgery—act And Recovery

Once you or your loved one decides to have a hip replacement, you should know what goes into the process.

A total hip replacement takes approximately two to four hours of surgical time. In layman's terms, the surgeon makes an incision over your hip joint, remove the femoral head from the femur and prepare the acetabulum (the socket that the femoral head goes in) for a new acetabular cup. The surgeon will then snap an acetabular insert in the cup, implant the femoral stem and ball in the femur and then snap the ball of the new prosthesis into the acetabular implant.

Then, the patient spends time in the recovery room, so the medical staff can take measures to prevent blood clots. Patients wear compression hose and are recommended to exercise their legs. They also do deep breathing to avoid lung congestion.

Physical therapy will commence immediately. Your loved one will need to strengthen his or her muscles around the joint and to prevent contractures. Your loved one will also work on activities of daily living, so when he or she is ready to live independently after healing, he or she will be ready.

Short term recovery will include getting out of the hospital bed and walking with a walker. After three days, the patient can usually go home with his or her caregiver. During the next four to six weeks, he or she will work on walking and the activities of daily living, wean him or her self off of painkillers and have a full-night's sleep without these pills. Once your loved one is able to walk two blocks around the house without pain or resting, you will have completed the short term recovery. While it is “short term”, your loved one should expect a lot of hard work in physical therapy.

Long term tissue healing will take approximately six months. Another indicator of success is when your loved one says that he or she feels better and is having a better quality of life than before the surgery.

Resources: Orthogate.com & MedicineNet.com