Hip replacement is an
orthopedic surgery to replace the hip joint by an artificial joint. Hip replacement can be a total or partial replacement among precautions to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe damage like a hip fracture. In total hip replacement surgery, both the acetabulum and the femoral head is replaced. In half replacement, only the femoral head is replaced by an artificial joint through surgery. Hip replacement surgery implants of metals such as titanium or cobalt is usually undertaken when alternative therapies like physical therapy and pain relief medications are not fruitful.
Editor’s Note: These 6 Things Make Your Arthritis and Joint Pain Worse
Hip replacements are now among the most common orthopedic surgery procedures for replacing the arthritic or damaged joint by an artificial joint, for relieving pain. In this, the ball-and-socket hip joint is replaced.
How to Choose the Right Kind of Artificial Joints
Various criteria must be considered and precautions taken before taking a pain relief measure as drastic as hip replacement. Consider these points on how to choose the right kind of artificial joint.
Materials used in an artifical joint: Most hip replacements use either cobalt and chromium alloys or titanium. Artificial joints used in orthopaedic surgery release their ions into the blood that are generally excreted, but sometimes they accumulate, causing metal toxicity. Hence precautions are necessary in orthopaedic surgery (maybe with titanium or cobalt and chromium implants) to relieve postoperative pain. The typical titanium joint used in orthopedic surgery has a metal femur head replacement with a titanium stem attached to the femur and a cobalt chromium head. However, there are some drawbacks of titanium artificial joints, which might affect the process of hip replacement, causing dislocations within a few months of surgery and causing immense pain. To avoid such unwanted complexities and pain in titanium-based orthopedic surgeries, some precautions must be taken before opting for artificial joints made of titanium.
Based on the type of joint: In any orthopedic surgery, it is essential to understand that the primary aim is to reduce pain. In case of hip replacement, some factors need to be considered to help reduce the joint pain via proper implantation. Here the type of joint used plays a primary role. The artificial joints are of two types. Fixed-bearing systems in hip replacement surgery help the patients overcome pain with about a 20 to 50 percent success rate when implanted with fair precautions. Another advanced form of artificial joint called the mobile-bearing system is also used in hip replacement by expert orthopedic surgeons. This type of implant, done with proper precautions, provides additional support by reducing the chances of dislocation and thus helps largely reduce pain.
Importance of gender-specific artificial joint implants: In orthopedic surgery, proper precautions are required about the general anatomy of a patient and the hip replacement should be done using these proper precautions. The type of artificial joint or implant can vary in size and shape according to the gender of the patient.
Thus, when considering factors for proper pain reduction and successful hip replacement surgery, the age of the patient and the patient’s activity level; the brand, design and type of the artificial joint; the materials used such as titanium or ceramic components; and the expertise of the orthopedic surgeon are to be taken into account. Surgery should be done with all proper precautions to get rid of the extensive pain. Postsurgery precautions are also required to avoid pain and trauma.
Editor’s Note: These 6 Things Make Your Arthritis and Joint Pain Worse
© Newsmax. All rights reserved.