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Surgery Overview
Total joint replacement involves surgery to replace the ends of both bones in a damaged joint to create new joint surfaces.Total hip replacement surgery replaces the upper end of the thighbone (femur) with a metal ball and resurfaces the hip socket in the pelvic bone with a metal shell and plastic liner.Total hip replacement surgery replaces damaged cartilage with new joint material in a step-by-step process.Doctors may attach replacement joints to the bones with or without cement.
- Cemented joints are attached to the existing bone with cement, which acts as a glue and attaches the artificial joint to the bone.
- Uncemented joints are attached using a porous coating that is designed to allow the bone to adhere to the artificial joint. Over time, new bone grows and fills up the openings in the porous coating, attaching the joint to the bone.
Doctors most often use general anaesthesia for joint replacement surgeries, which means you'll be unconscious during surgery. But sometimes they use regional anesthesia, which means you can't feel the area of the surgery and you are sleepy, but you are awake. The choice depends on your doctor, on your overall health, and, to some degree, on what you prefer.Your doctor may recommend that you take antibiotics before and after the surgery to reduce the risk of infection. If you need any major dental work, your doctor may recommend that you have it done before the surgery. Infections can spread from other parts of the body, such as the mouth, to the artificial joint and cause a serious problem.
Should I have hip replacement surgery?
Introduction
This information will help you understand your choices, whether you share in the decision-making process or rely on your doctor's recommendation.
Key points in making your decision
You may be considering hip replacement surgery if Osteoarthritis causes severe hip pain and loss of function. The decision you and your doctor make depends on variables such as your age, health, and activity level, and the degree of pain and disability you are experiencing. Consider the following when making your decision:
- You can usually manage osteoarthritis pain with medication, exercise, physical therapy, and weight loss (if you are overweight). If these treatments do not relieve pain, other options include joint injections, arthroscopic surgery, and osteotomy. In the most severe cases, surgery to replace the joint is an option.
- Most people have joint replacement only when they can no longer control the pain in their hip with medication and other treatments and the pain is significantly interfering with their life.
- People who have had hip replacement surgery usually have much less pain than before the surgery, are able to resume daily activities, and have improved quality of life. A review of studies of people who have had their hips replaced reported that more than 70% have good to excellent function and relief of pain, extending at least 10 years after surgery.
- Most artificial hip joints will last for 10 to 20 years or longer without loosening, depending on how much stress you put on the joint, how much you weigh, and how well your new joint and bones mend.
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