What are the Benefits of Total Hip Replacement?
Hip joint pain and limitations on movement can have a huge negative impact on a person’s quality of life. The cause may be a disease (such as osteoarthritis) or an injury, but the result is the same. Other treatments to relieve the symptoms may be tried, but if they do not succeed, then the only effective and lasting treatment is hip replacement surgery. Although this is now a fairly common procedure, it is still a major operation, and going to the best orthopedic surgeon will maximize pain relief, increase mobility and provide for a lasting cure.
Patients are often hesitant to contact a surgeon thinking that this being the doctor’s specialization, he will automatically advise surgery. This is not the case. An orthopedic surgeon will examine all treatment options and recommend joint replacement only if that is in the patient’s best interests. Total hip replacement offers a number of advantages:
- There is complete relief from the excruciating pain of a diseased or damaged hip. This removes the need for pain reduction medication and enables the patient to move, rest, sleep, drive, work and live without pain so that the quality of life is greatly improved.
- The functioning of the new joint mimics that of the natural one so that movement is natural, easy, and stress-free. Activities that were previously impossible or severely limited by pain like sitting down or getting up, walking, driving, climbing stairs, putting on shoes, and more all become easy and pain-free.
- Hip replacement surgery is a long-term solution for hip joint pain. Once the recovery is complete, post-surgery medication can stop and life, the way it was before the condition developed, can resume. Hip joint implants have a long life and most continue to function in a trouble-free manner even after 20 years.
- Although it is a major procedure, hip replacement surgery is now well established as being among the safest and most successful of operations. The use of new surgical techniques means that the recovery is now much more rapid than before and patients are typically able to return home and begin life with the new hip a week after the surgery.
- A return to active life after the surgery benefits the overall health. According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, people who have had hip replacement have a reduced risk of heart failure, diabetes, depression, and other medical conditions as compared to those who opted not to undergo the procedure and continue to live with the pain and mobility limitations.
- Hip replacement also offers psychological benefits. The removal of the pain and the regaining of mobility after the procedure removes the feeling of being permanently unwell which afflicts many of those who suffer from hip pain. This relief also infuses vitality and creativity into their lives.
If you suffer from chronic hip joint pain, contact an orthopedic surgeon. You will be tested and examined to find the cause of the problem. If total hip replacement is the best solution, you will be fully briefed on the procedure, the recovery process, and the life you can expect after the surgery. Hip replacement is not a luxury – it is an essential medical procedure for those suffering from pain and loss of mobility due to hip joint pain.