When you undergo surgery for total hip replacement, chances are you will be able to significantly increase your recreational activities once the new joint heals. If successful, the outcome will enable you to walk farther, play tennis and golf again and have much less pain Hip Surgeon Los Angelesthan before the operation.  Over 90% of individuals who have a total hip replacement say they would undergo the procedure again based on the satisfactory outcome.

Reasons for Total Hip Replacement

  • Osteoarthritis – This is a chronic arthritis condition that is age-related. It most often occurs in older people.
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis – This is an autoimmune disease that results in synovial membrane inflammation.
  • Post-Traumatic Arthritis – This form of arthritis occurs following serious hip injury or fracture.
  • Avascular Necrosis – This occurs following an injury to the hip. With this condition, there is loss of blood supply to the hip bone and femur.
  • Childhood Hip Disease – This occurs when a child has a congenital hip condition with a malformed hip joint that becomes painful in adulthood.

Recovery and Homecare

Patient stay in the hospital is two to five days, and the hospital therapists get patients up the day after surgery. This may seem soon, but it’s normal in the modern era of joint replacement surgery. Some patients go home from the hospital, others to a short term rehab facility.

Normally it will take three months of recuperation to fully heal once the new prosthesis is implanted in the hip. During that time span, a physical therapist will work with you, teaching you how to move and how not to move. This is very important in the recovery to prevent damage during that period. Certain new homecare items may be very helpful, like raised toilet seats, firm cushions, and a reacher stick. The physical therapist will instruct you on these items. It is a very good idea to have the items handy after surgery.

Los Angeles Hip Surgeon

Here are the steps for a Hip Replacement:
1) Remove arthritis joint surfaces
2) New joint surfaces are implanted (ball and socket pieces)
3 and 4) The Joint is put into its new position

Physical Therapy

The patient needs to be prepared for this type of surgery and the outcome. The Los Angeles orthopedic surgeon will help guide you through the routine for hip replacement. The actual surgery itself is only half of the “battle” in obtaining a great outcome. Dr. Raj has done hundreds of hip replacements and is an accomplished surgeon, however, even the best skill with a total hip replacement is predicated on patient participation in rehab post-surgery.

With active patient participation in physical therapy after the surgery, chances are improved dramatically in reaching the goals for range of motion and pain relief.

Complications

There are some possible complications that could happen during and after the hip replacement surgery. While replacement surgery complications are low, occurring in only about two percent of cases, it is possible that they could occur. Complications include joint Best Orthopedic Surgeon Los Angelesinfection, blood clots, nerve damage, and potential dislocation. Also, stiffness and residual pain may occur following hip replacement surgery.