We hope you're able to walk, run and dance through your entire life with your healthy natural joints. But if you find that over time your hips have become arthritic and painful, hip replacement might be for you. Hips and several other joints are now replaceable through advanced technology and cutting-edge surgical techniques.
“Whatever hip arthritis takes from you, hip replacement is able to give back to you,” says AdventHealth orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ronald Hudanich.
Who Can Benefit From Hip Replacement Surgery
Patients over 65 years old who have exhausted all other forms of treatment, maintained active lifestyles, and have chronic pain even while sitting or asleep are the prime candidates for hip replacement surgery. Chronic pain experienced even when your body is in a state of rest is the primary reason for hip replacement surgery after all other treatments have been exhausted.
Other forms of treatment will generally include some or all of the following:
- Anti-Inflammatory medications
- Cortisone injections
- Physical therapy
- Viscosupplementation or gel injections
- Weight Loss
After these conservative treatments have been tried and your chronic pain still exists, it may be time to consider a total hip replacement procedure.
Total hip replacement surgery is not recommended for those who are overweight, tobacco smokers or diabetics. The chance for infection is just too great with these patients and it risks complications after the surgery.
“The longer someone in need of a hip replacement waits to start the process, the riskier the procedure can be, especially for those who are prone to weight gain,” says Dr. Hudanich.
He also explained that the longer a potential patient waits to have surgery, the less active they will become, which can increase the likelihood of hypertension and heart disease.
What to Expect Before and After Surgery
Once all other forms of treatment have been ruled out and surgery is the last option for dealing with your chronic pain, you'll need to get clearance from your primary care provider. The process for clearing you for surgery will require testing for any allergens that may be contained in the implants and used during the procedure.
Once you've been cleared by your general practitioner, the next step is to have the surgery which, depending on your surgeon, may require general anesthesia. Your surgery is generally a one-day inpatient procedure where our multi-disciplinary team uses advanced techniques to provide coordinated care.
Physical therapy after surgery is essential to recovery.
While the surgery used to be an inpatient procedure with a three-week ICU stay, now it's only two days, doesn't require the ICU, and you can be back home and ready to start your physical therapy. In just six to eight weeks, you should be back on your feet with considerably less pain. Your healing process normally takes 16 to 20 weeks, as soft tissue takes longer to heal.
Our award-winning specialists take care to use the smallest incision possible so that any scarring is minimal.
Hope for Healing is Here
“The longevity and outcomes of a total robotic hip replacement and anterior method has a direct impact on the quality of life for a total hip replacement patient,” says Dr. Hudanich. “This procedure can really get a patient back to doing what they love with the ones they love.”
Our expert physicians like Dr. Hudanich provide AdventHealth patients the highest quality of care. To learn more about joint replacement, visit the AdventHealth Orthopedic Institute website.
