Hip replacement surgery is usually done either under general anaesthetic (you're asleep throughout the procedure) or under spinal anaesthetic (you're awake but have no feeling from the waist down). Sometimes you may have an epidural, which is similar to a spinal anaesthetic.
You avoid general anesthesia and receive less medication, thus having fewer potential side effects. After surgery, you are more awake with a lower chance of developing nausea and vomiting. You experience less bleeding during surgery and fewer complications from blood clotting after surgery.
The surgeon makes an incision into the hip, removes the damaged hip joint and then replaces it with an artificial joint that is a metal alloy or, in some cases, ceramic. The surgery usually takes around 60-90 minutes to complete.
You will be placed supine, on your back, on a special operating table that enables the surgeon to perform your hip replacement anteriorly. Fluoroscopic imaging is used during the surgery to ensure accuracy of component positioning and to minimize leg length inequality.
Going home. You'll usually be in hospital for around 3 to 5 days, depending on the progress you make and what type of surgery you have. If you're generally fit and well, the surgeon may suggest an enhanced recovery programme, where you start walking on the day of the operation and are discharged within 1 to 3 days.
“Most patients can start walking and can go home the day of the surgery,” says Thakkar. Most people don't need bed rest. In fact, moving your new joint keeps it from becoming stiff.
You can expect to experience some discomfort in the hip region itself, as well as groin pain and thigh pain. This is normal as your body adjusts to changes made to joints in that area. There can also be pain in the thigh and knee that is typically associated with a change in the length of your leg.
However, even the most successful hip replacement is not immune to postoperative aches and pains, the most common of which are pains in or around the buttocks.
Most people will fully recover from hip replacement surgery within a few months to a year, but recovery times vary for each patient. Expect about one to four days of bed rest immediately after surgery, but physical rehabilitation usually starts the same day as your procedure.
10 Weeks to 1 Year After Surgery
Around three months after your hip operation, most things will go back to normal, and the pain goes away for most people. You need to look out for signs of complications and continue being careful with how you move your hip. After 6 to 12 months, the recovery is considered complete.
Gentle exercise is beneficial, such as short, gentle walks around your home and outside. Supervised physiotherapy, like rehabilitation programmes and hydrotherapy, can also help improve recovery in the weeks following surgery.
Benefits of Awake Anesthesia
General anesthesia is necessary for some surgeries but it carries some well-known risks. Awake anesthesia eliminates the risks, effectively protects patients from pain and anxiety, and allows them to make a faster recovery without lingering side effects.
Anxiety Reduction - Many patients feel nervous before hip replacement surgery--this is completely normal. Anxiety-reducing techniques will help to keep you calm when it is time for your procedure.
After the operation and throughout the early stages of recovery, you will need some form of support when ascending or descending stairs, such as using the handrails and a cane. At home, your stairs should have some handrails or banisters already installed.
Using the toilet
After hip replacement surgery, you will need a raised toilet seat on your toilet at home. This is to make sure that your knees are not higher than your hips when sitting.
Wear pants/shorts that are easy to get out of (always dress the surgical leg first). Wear shoes that are supportive (ones that you can slip on and off).
Make sure to avoid caffeine, alcohol, excessive sugar, and salt as they can all slow bone healing by depleting your body of nutrients. Unless advised otherwise by your physician, try to get your nutrients from food rather than supplements because food helps the body absorb them better.
Right after knee or hip surgery you will not be able to lift your own leg due to pain, swelling and weakness. For more information on relieving and reducing pain after surgery, check out this blog here. The isometric quad contractions (meaning contracting your quads without lifting your leg) are the first step.
Three Pros of Hip Replacement
The success rate for this surgery is excellent, with greater than 95% of patients experiencing hip pain relief. The success rate of hip replacements after ten years from surgery is 90-95%, and 80-85% after 20 years. Dr.