Total Hip Replacement

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Do you suffer from chronic hip pain? Is pain in your hip making it difficult for you to participate in the activities that you love? Does hip pain make it hard for you to simply walk without discomfort? At Physicians Regional Healthcare System, many patients undergo minimally invasive total hip replacement surgery to enhance their quality of life. Why not you?

A total hip replacement, also called arthroplasty, may be a procedure to consider if your hip pain interferes with daily activities (and other treatments have not proven effective). Talk to your doctor to learn more.

What Is Hip Replacement Surgery?
A total hip replacement is the replacement of damaged bone and cartilage with artificial hip implants that are designed to move just as a normal, healthy hip joint would.

During this procedure, the orthopedic surgeon removes the acetabulum (hip socket) and the femur (head of the thigh bone). These parts are typically replaced with a prosthesis designed to reduce pain and improve your quality of life.

• At both Naples facilities, orthopedic surgeons use minimally invasive procedures when possible. Minimally invasive surgery helps to reduce post-operative pain due to muscle and tissue damage, while also helping you recover faster.
• Surgeons use robotic technology in many hip replacement procedures in order to provide you with a personalized surgical plan.

Why Have a Total Hip Replacement?
Arthritis is the main reason most people need a hip replacement. Some of the most common reasons why patients choose hip replacement surgery may include:

• Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis “wears out” the cartilage meant to cushion your bones, creating a painful bone-against-bone problem.
• Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) – RA is caused by an overactive immune system that can negatively affect your body. This disease ultimately erodes cartilage and damages your joints, creating significant pain.
• Osteonecrosis – Occurs when there is a lack of blood supply to the ball portion of your hip joint. Without the necessary amount of blood flowing to the joint, the bone structure weakens and may collapse and become deformed.

Other reasons to consider hip replacement:

• Pain that is constant no matter what medication you take
• Pain is affecting your ability to walk up or down staircases
• Pain interfering with sleep at night
• Trouble getting into or out of a chair
• Inability to walk without pain (even with support)

Risks of Total Hip Replacement Surgery
With any surgery, there are risks. Risks of a total hip replacement may include:

• Infection – Although infections rarely happen, most infections that do occur happen near the site of an incision. These are often treated with antibiotics, but major infections may require surgery.
• Blood clotting – Blood thinning medications may be prescribed in order to prevent harmful blood clots.
• Fractures – During a total hip surgery, there is the risk of other, healthy parts of the hip joint fracturing.
• Dislocation of joints – Before you fully recover from surgery, there is a chance that certain movements may cause your new artificial joint to become dislocated.
• Differing leg lengths – Although orthopedic surgeons work to make sure this does not happen, sometimes an artificial prosthesis will cause one leg to become longer than the other. Often, this is caused by muscles contracting around the hip joint. In some cases, physical therapy and stretching can help this problem.
• Loosening – The loosening of an artificial prosthesis can happen over time, again causing pain in the hips. Additional surgery may be needed to fix the problem.
• Metal complications – Sometimes, a metal-on-metal prosthesis causes a release of metal ions into your bloodstream, which can destroy the bone and cause inflammation. There are now many non-metal options for this surgery.
• Need for a second hip replacement – There is always the risk of needing a second surgery for hip replacement if your artificial hip joint wears out. This can especially happen if you have your first surgery when you are young. Now, there are mostly new materials being used in surgeries to prevent a second hip replacement.

Find a Hip Replacement Surgeon Near You
If you would like to schedule a consultation with an orthopedic doctor specializing in hip pain or hip replacement surgery, please contact Physicians Regional Healthcare System in Naples, Florida, at one of the numbers below, or find a provider online.

Call (239) 354-6000 | Collier Blvd
Call (239) 348-4000 | Pine Ridge