Total Hip Replacement: Types, What to Expect and Recovery
A total hip replacement is a surgical procedure that replaces a damaged hip joint with smooth artificial components, relieving pain and restoring mobility. It is a common orthopedic procedure, and for people whose hip pain no longer responds to other treatments, it can make a meaningful difference. It is most often used for advanced arthritis, but it also helps with other conditions that wear down or damage the joint.
If hip pain is limiting your life and other treatments have not helped, it may be time to learn about your options. The board-certified and fellowship-trained hip specialists at Resurgens Orthopaedics perform hip replacement surgery at locations across metro Atlanta.
What Is a Total Hip Replacement?
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint, where the rounded top of the thighbone, the femoral head, fits into a cup-shaped socket in the pelvis. Smooth cartilage normally lets the ball glide in the socket. When that cartilage wears away or the joint is severely damaged, bone rubs against bone, causing pain and stiffness. In a total hip replacement, also called total hip arthroplasty, the surgeon removes the damaged ball and the worn surface of the socket and replaces them with artificial parts: a new ball on a stem that fits into the thighbone and a smooth cup in the socket. The result is a joint that moves smoothly again, without the bone-on-bone pain.
Who Needs a Hip Replacement?
Hip replacement is usually considered after nonsurgical treatments, such as medication, physical therapy and injections, have stopped providing enough relief. Your physician may discuss it if you have:
- Long-Lasting Hip Pain: Pain that limits everyday activities like walking, bending or climbing stairs
- Disrupted Sleep: Hip pain that keeps you up at night
- Stiffness: Restricted movement of the hip
- Advanced Arthritis: Significant loss of the cushioning cartilage in the joint
- Joint Damage: Damage from conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis or avascular necrosis
Hip replacement is most common in older adults, but the decision is based on how much pain and disability you have, not on age alone. Younger, active patients are sometimes candidates for bone-preserving options.
Types of Hip Replacement Surgery
There is more than one way to perform a hip replacement, and the right choice depends on your anatomy, the condition of your hip and your surgeon’s judgment. The main difference between approaches is where the incision is made and how the surgeon reaches the joint.
- Anterior Approach: An incision at the front of the hip that works between muscles rather than cutting through them, which can support a quicker early recovery for the right candidate
- Posterior Approach: An incision at the back of the hip, a widely used approach
- Lateral Approach: An incision on the side of the hip, chosen when it best fits the situation
Each approach can relieve pain and restore function, and your surgeon will recommend the one best suited to you. For some patients, bone-preserving alternatives such as hip resurfacing are an option, and worn implants from an earlier replacement can be addressed with revision hip surgery. Your Resurgens surgeon can explain how these options compare for your situation.
What to Expect From Hip Replacement Surgery
Before surgery, your care team reviews your medical history and medications, checks your overall health and helps you prepare your home for recovery, such as arranging help, setting up a sturdy chair and removing tripping hazards. The procedure itself takes a few hours and is done under anesthesia in a hospital or surgery center. As with any major surgery, hip replacement carries some risks, which can include blood clots, infection, dislocation of the new joint, nerve injury or a difference in leg length, though serious complications, such as joint infection, occur in less than 2% of patients. Your surgeon will discuss these with you and the steps taken to reduce them.
Hip Replacement Recovery
Recovery is a gradual process that centers on getting you moving again. Patients are encouraged to stand and walk with assistance soon after surgery, and many people can go home the same day or after a short stay. Physical therapy is a key part of recovery, rebuilding strength and range of motion over the following weeks. Your care team will give you a recovery plan and activity guidelines tailored to your procedure.
Please Note: Some soreness, including aching in the groin or thigh, is normal in the early weeks as the hip heals. Report severe or worsening pain, or pain with redness, fever or swelling, to your physician right away.
Schedule a Hip Replacement Consultation
If hip pain is limiting your life and you want to understand whether hip replacement could help, a hip specialist can walk you through your options. Book an appointment online today with Resurgens Orthopaedics or call us at (404) 847-9999.