The hip replacement surgery procedure to relieve pain until complete recovery.
If the hip is damaged by osteoarthritis, a fracture or other conditions, daily activities such as walking, driving, and climbing stairs become painful and complicated.
Due to stiffness even dressing, putting on shoes, and having sex can become difficult.
You might also experience discomfort and pain during rest and at night.
If medications, changes in daily activities and the use of aids such as canes or crutches do not adequately relieve these symptoms, it may be time to discuss the possibility of a hip replacement surgery with your orthopedic specialist.
It is very important, during this process, to identify all risk factors and potential benefits of the surgery, which, considering the severity of the condition, the patient’s age, and psycho-physical characteristics, are the basis for making the decision.
The operation allows you to relieve pain until it disappears completely, improve movement, and return to normal daily activities.
It is a safe and effective procedure, a great success in surgery, that enables you to regain your quality of life.
Thanks to the latest generation of smaller prostheses made from advanced biocompatible materials, minimally invasive surgery is possible, which speeds up recovery times.
What is a hip prosthesis composed of?
The prosthesis is not the same for everyone but is customized: the choice depends primarily on the patient’s characteristics, needs, and gender.
For example, a 75-year-old woman weighing 50 kgs will have different requirements than a 40-year-old man weighing 95 kgs.
Bone quality influences the choice of the implant; in a young man with hard bone small press-fit prostheses can be used, while in cases of severe osteoporosis it is more appropriate to use cement to fix the implant.
We all have different joint geometries that need to be studied and understood in order to choose the prosthesis model that best suits and reconstructs them.
The hip prosthesis is composed of three elements:
- ceramic head on a metal stem, that replaces the damaged femoral head. The stems are typically made of titanium alloy or cobalt-chromium, materials currently considered among the strongest and most biocompatible on the market;
- acetabular cup (or metal socket), which replaces the worn cartilage in the pelvis and is generally made from a titanium alloy;
- acetabular insert made of polyethylene (or sometimes ceramic).
This type of prosthesis is made using advanced, durable and biocompatible materials: titanium, ceramic, polyethylene with vitamin E and tantalum.
Its longevity depends on the materials used, the precision of its design and customization and the skill with which the surgeon positions it during the procedure.
The hip replacement procedure
The hip replacement procedure is meticulously planned through a strategy that involves taking an X-ray, allowing the surgeon to determine the most suitable prosthesis for the patient.
This preoperative planning is typically performed on a computer using specialized planning software.
A pre-admission evaluation is conducted before hospitalization to assess the patient’s overall health.
The anesthesiologist determines the best anesthesia for each case; usually spinal anesthesia is used, which numbs the legs for a few hours.
Hospitalization in the prosthetic surgery department typically occurs on the day of the surgery, sometimes the day before.
In addition to the small skin incision minimally invasive techniques are characterized by respecting the subcutaneous tissues, such as tendons and muscles, which are spared (not cut) during the procedure.
Traditional hip surgery requires an incision of 20-30 centimeters and a healing period of 3 to 4 months.
However new minimally invasive techniques allow successful hip prosthesis implantation through a smaller incision of about 10 cm closed with glue, preserving bone, especially on the femur.
Thus, minimally invasive hip replacement means a rapid recovery for the patient, less bleeding, no urinary catheter, less pain and a very low risk of transfusion.
In hip replacement surgery, the irreparably damaged bone and cartilage are removed and replaced with prosthetic components firmly attached to the bone.
The goal is to create a new, stable joint.
The duration of the surgical procedure usually ranges from 45 to 60 minutes.
How can the procedure be outlined?
The procedure can be outlined as follows:
- Anesthesia
- Positioning the patient on their side on the operating table
- Disinfection of the limb
- Skin incision
- Removal of the worn bone and cartilage
- Placement of the prosthetic components
- Closing the skin with glue.
The femoral head, in particular, is removed and replaced with a femoral prosthesis that has a stem entering the femur.
A ceramic head is placed on the neck of the stem to replace the damaged femoral head that was previously removed.
A metal cup, also positioned with a “press-fit technique”, replaces the damaged cartilage surface.
A plastic (polyethylene) or ceramic insert is then placed between the new head and the cup to create a proper sliding surface.
A post-operative X-ray is finally performed to confirm the success of the procedure.
And after the surgery?
With the Rapid Recovery method you can get up as early as 5/6 hours after the surgery, without a urinary catheter or stitches on the wound and with less bleeding and pain. All for a quicker recovery.
Typically you return home between the third and fifth day after the operation, where you will continue to follow the physiotherapist’s instructions.
Post-operative pain management, which is tolerable, is optimal because it is managed by the anesthesiologist, surgeon and later by the physiatrist.
The goal of Rapid Recovery is to return the patient to everyday life by reducing pain as quickly as possible.
This way you can immediately resume walking and climbing stairs, recover joint movement more quickly and easily and significantly reduce pain.
If you are planning a hip replacement surgery, discover how to achieve these results with Dr. Vanni Strigelli.
