How does the Normal Hip Joint Work?

The hip joint is a ball-bearing joint, formed by the combination of the femur (thigh) and pelvis bones. The function of the knee joint is crucial in simple daily activities such as standing up and walking. Therefore, living with a damaged or injured hip joint is both painful and uncomfortable. But you don’t have to live your life like that. In many cases, the entire or damaged part of the hip joint can be replaced by an orthopedic surgeon.

Why do You Have Pain in Your Hip?

Pain in your hip can be due to a chronic illness, a poorly treated injury, or the corrosion and tear of continued use as you age. The most common cause of pain and loss of function in the hip joint is arthritis, colloquially known as calcification. Regardless of your age, if you have a problematic hip, you will be unable to perform many of the activities of daily living. This is a progressive condition, eventually causing you to be unable to handle most of your mandatory needs alone, including your personal care.

Is Surgery a Solution?

In many cases where the hip joint loses its functions due to corrosion, replacing the joint is a solution for the hip pain. With the surgery to be performed, an artificial joint called a prosthesis is placed instead of the damaged hip joint. You don’t have to live your life with hip pain. Many people regain their ability to move without pain after hip replacement surgery.

What are the Benefits of Hip Joint Replacement?

Joint pain after surgery is relieved completely or greatly reduced. Reduced pain allows you to use the hip joint more comfortably and more effective, which improves the leg muscles’ strength. Your quality of life increases as you can do your daily work and non-challenging activities alone. The inserted prostheses are quite long-lasting, which allows you to move freely for years.

To Whom is Total Hip Replacement Performed?

It is applied to patients whose hip articular cartilage is damaged or completely lost for any reason. Since the cartilage tissue cannot regenerate itself, it is possible for the joint to regain its former functions only by replacing the joint with a prosthesis. Of course, in the process leading up to the surgery ,many conservative treatment methods such as drugs, injections and physical therapy are tried. Total hip replacement surgery is recommended for patients who do not benefit from these treatments.

How is the Decision for Surgery Made?

This surgery is an elective surgery with no urgency, in which your doctor believes that you should have surgery and you believe in your doctor. Before the operation, all your health history, medications you use, previous treatments, and other diseases, if any, are examined in detail. During the examination by the orthopedist, the painful spots and swellings in your hip, the strength of the muscles around the hip, the flexibility of the tendons and the range of motion of the hip joint are evaluated. Intraarticular narrowing and disorders in the hip joint are evaluated with X-ray, which is alone sufficient as a radiological examination in order to make a decision for surgery.

How is the Operational Plan Made?

After anamnesis, physical examination and radiological examinations, according to your age and the extent of the damage in your knee, how the joint prosthesis will be placed and the possible gains from the surgery will be shared with you. After this stage, the possible time of surgery and the day you will apply to the hospital for anesthesia evaluation are determined.