Hip replacement surgery may sound like the end of the road, but there can be a handful of complications in it as well, which is why a revision surgery carried out by an orthopedic surgeon is necessary. Here is everything you need to know about it.

Hip Revision Surgery

A hip replacement surgery is done to replace a broken ball and socket joint with prosthetics. While this procedure may end up being successful for a lot of people, some people might have complications post-surgery and they might need another procedure done on the newly replaced artificial hip. This is where hip revision surgery comes in. A hip revision surgery is done to replace or repair a botched or broken artificial hip bone or joint.

There can be a lot of reasons why people would go for hip revision surgery. Even after getting a hip replacement, either partial or total hip replacement, there might be complications in sitting around for longer periods of time or standing up and you’ll feel extremely sore in the affected area too.

This is why doctors must monitor your progress after a hip replacement surgery because there are chances of the implant getting dislocated, any joint getting broken during surgery or simply it can be a case of a botched surgery, where it’s done in a haste and the implant is poking your muscles and other bones, causing immense pain and difficulty in moving around properly. This is when the doctor will recommend you to get hip revision surgery.

Why Do You Need Hip Revision Surgery?

Here are some things that can lead to you getting hip revision surgery.

• Your newly replaced hip bone isn’t located properly and this is causing friction between the joints, which in turn, leads to a lot of pain to the point where you can’t even move properly.
• The prosthetic ball and socket joint may pop and break during surgery and it can go unnoticed in the surgery, but after some time, the patient will complain about pain in the lower groin and hip area.
• There might be a severe infection in the incision of the hip replacement surgery and this can cause the wound to not heal properly, which in turn, can cause complications in the healing process.
• There might be issues with the alignment of the prosthetics in your body. This can be the result of a hasty surgery or an inexperienced doctor.
• A lot of the time, there are chances of the prosthetics getting loose around the bone, where they’re originally fixed in place, and that can hinder the healing process as well as your overall movement, so a hip revision surgery becomes a must.

Even if the hip replacement surgery is successful that doesn’t mean that the implant or prosthetic is going to last forever. There is a certain time limit, after which prosthetics need to be replaced. In most cases, it’s about 5 to 10 years, depending on your overall movement and stress on the new artificial hip joint. You’ll need to eventually maintain it and get it checked from time to time.

As soon as a problem surfaces, a hip revision surgery becomes mandatory because you don’t want to risk your body getting any more infections or worse, further limitations in the movement of the hip joint. Some might go to pain management doctors Woodbridge for managing the pain, but a hip revision surgery may be the right thing for you.

How Is Hip Revision Surgery Done?

Here is what you can expect in a hip revision surgery.

1. Before any surgery, a physical examination is a must. You’ll need to set an appointment with your doctor while keeping the symptoms in check, especially if they’re not going away. Usually, an X-ray will be enough to confirm the suspicions and you can be scheduled for a surgery right away.
2. There are times when you’ll need to stop taking certain medications before the surgery, so your doctor will brief you on that as well.
3. After being scheduled for the surgery, you’ll need to go through some routine blood tests and an anesthesia fitness test. This is going to ensure that you’ll be able to go through the surgery, while being under, with zero complications.
4. Once you’re ready for the surgery, your doctor will remove the faulty prosthetic first, by making an incision. If there’s an infection, then there will be two parts to this surgery. First, the prosthetic will be removed and the infection will be treated. This can take a couple of days, after which the next part of the surgery will commence and the new prosthetic will be fitted in your body.
5. The incision is stitched back in place and the whole process takes about 3 to 4 hours. Some surgeries can be completed in 2 hours too, but that depends from case to case and your doctor will usually give you a time estimate, beforehand.
6. Afterward, the anesthesia will start to wear off and you’ll regain consciousness.

You will be expected to stay a couple of days in the hospital so that your progress can be monitored, after which you can be discharged with medical precautions and instructions from the doctor, as to how you would take care of yourself, from that point on.

Precautions & Post-Surgery Care

Here are some things you need to take care of, after the surgery.

• You will need someone to drive you to and from the hospital, as you won’t be able to sit comfortably in a driver’s seat for some time. It’s also a good idea to have someone stay with you for a couple of days until you get healed enough to do normal life activities without help or supervision.
• It’s better to make your home a no-trip zone because you don’t want to risk falling and injuring your hip. So, get rid of loose electrical cords, and miscellaneous things on the ground and keep the surrounding areas clean and tidy.
• You need to take extra care of the incision after the surgery, especially if your first surgery was affected due to an infection. Keep the skin dry at all times and use topical antibiotic creams to get rid of the redness and any lingering bacteria on the wound. Also, look out for tenderness or swelling around the incision and contact your doctor immediately if you see anything out of the ordinary around the incision, because these are the first signs of an infection.
• Make sure that you have a physical therapist to help you with moving your legs from time to time because you don’t want to be in a sedentary position for a long time. You can get your hands on a good physical therapist right after the surgery, during your stay in the hospital.
• Remember to take your medication, especially if you start to feel any sort of pain, tingling, or discomfort. You don’t want to rely on your pain threshold too much, because it’s only going to cause excruciating and unbearable pain.

Conclusion

Hip revision surgery is like an extra surgical procedure, which is meant to make your artificial prosthetic work better. It is going to make your life a lot easier. Get in touch with your hip replacement surgery surgeon Woodbridge for a complete checkup and whether you need a hip revision surgery.