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Benefits and Risks

If hip pain has robbed you of some of life's simple pleasures - taking a walk, playing with your grandchildren, working in the garden - don't give up hope. With hip replacement surgery, you may be able to lead an active, satisfying and pain-free life.

Safe and proven, hip replacement surgery involves replacing your problem hip with an artificial metal or plastic joint (called a prosthesis). Your new prosthesis will help significantly reduce joint pain and swelling, allowing you to again participate in activities you've been forced to give up.

After all, life isn't something to be endured - it's something to be enjoyed.

Hip replacement surgery offers a number of benefits:

Reduce hip pain. Following the initial surgery-related discomfort (which will disappear within a few weeks), you should expect that your hip pain will either be eliminated or significantly reduced.
Restore lost mobility. As your hip pain subsides, your legs will become stronger with increased use. That means better mobility, less fatigue and easier movement.
Improve your overall quality of life. With less pain and greater mobility, you should be able to perform daily tasks more easily and lead a more active, more independent life.

Risks
The risk of complications is low in total hip replacements, and your surgeon and medical team will take a variety of preventative measures to reduce the risk even further.

The most common post-surgery complications don't actually affect the new hip. In fact, the most common complication is a blood clot forming in a vein in your lower leg. To help keep clots from forming, your surgeon may prescribe support hose, a Sequential Compression Device (SCD) or blood thinning medications. Other non-hip related complications include pulmonary embolism (a blood clot in your lung) and urinary tract infections. The risk of a heart attack or stroke is even lower.
Surgical complications, such as adverse reactions to anesthesia or damage to nearby blood vessels, bones or nerves, are also possible - but unlikely.
To help prevent infection of the hip joint, your surgeon will start you on antibiotics even before the operation. He'll also keep the procedure as short as possible to further reduce the risk of infection. ¹

Reva's corner:
Patients go back to tying their shoes, grocery shopping, exercising, sleeping without pain, riding in a car comfortably, and taking vacations.

Post-operative complications may include:

Leg length differences
Infection
Hip pain
Thigh pain
Stiffness of the hip joint
Dislocation of the prosthesis
Loosening of the prosthesis

In the weeks after your surgery, be sure to follow the surgeon's instructions carefully. Avoid behaviors that may damage your new joint as you heal, such as high impact activities, twisting motions or anything that can cause increased hip flexion. Remember that the joint is metal or plastic, and that some problems may occur - particularly if the joint is subjected to too much stress too soon. Severe complications, such as infection, loosening or dislocation of the prosthesis, may require additional surgery.

In the long run, there is a risk that you'll need another surgery, or that the wear particles that accumulate at the joint surface will cause bone softening (osteolysis).

Reference:
1. American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)