When you have hip pain that’s so bad it affects your life, it’s time for you to get treatment. While conservative measures may ease the pain for a little while, a hip replacement is warranted when severe arthritis or damage is apparent. Although this surgery may seem daunting, it may greatly help you get over the pain.
At Orthopedic Associates of Wisconsin, our team are experts in hip pain and treatments that can help. Among our team is our orthopedic expert, Dr. Mitchell Klement. Dr. Klement is an orthopedic surgeon who offers hip replacement surgery when no other treatment has offered you relief.
A hip replacement is a type of surgical procedure that’s done when you have chronic pain related to arthritis damage. Conservative treatments are usually used first, but they can’t undo the damage in your hip joint that’s already there.
When you have severe arthritis and it causes pain in your hip and problems with mobility, Dr. Klement recommends hip replacement surgery. You’ll be under anesthesia for the procedure. Dr. Klement makes an incision in your hip, and uses surgical tools to remove the damaged cartilage and bone in your affected hip.
Once he’s cleaned out the damage, Dr. Klement measures the area in your hip for a prosthetic. The prosthetic hip replaces the damaged area that was removed. It’s usually made out of metal, hard plastics, or ceramics.
Once the prosthetic is in place, Dr. Klement sutures the incision closed and puts a dressing over the site. You’ll go into the recovery room and most likely spend a night or two in the hospital. After that, you’ll go home and your real recovery begins.
Once you’re home, the real recovery starts, beginning with physical therapy. Your first physical therapy appointments start in the hospital, but you can expect to continue this therapy for months after your surgery.
Physical therapy helps you to regain the strength and mobility in your new hip after surgery. Because of the procedure, you may have swelling and some stiffness in your new joint. Physical therapy helps you over the next few months to regain your normal activities.
However, there are some movements that you should avoid in the first year or so after surgery. You want to avoid twisting the new hip or pivoting it in any way. This could put too much pressure on your prosthetic.
You’ll also want to avoid crossing your legs or squatting, because these movements could potentially damage your new hip. The same goes with bending over to touch your toes or pick something up. You shouldn’t bend more than 90 degrees at your hips.
Physical therapy gives you the tools to get through your recovery without performing these movements. However, there are some lifelong changes you’ll have to make to ensure your hip survives for a long time.
While you can resume most of your normal activities after your recovery, you still need to avoid certain physical activities. For example, running or playing sports that require jumping should be avoided at all costs. These exercises may put too much strain on your new hip.
You can still exercise, just be sure to keep it to low-impact activities such as swimming, walking, or riding a bike. For the most part, life after a hip replacement is like life before you had surgery, except with much less pain.
Hip pain is a real drag, so don’t hesitate to get treatment. You can call our office to schedule a consultation at 262-223-3040, or you can book an appointment online today to get help from Dr. Klement.
