No one wants accidents to happen, especially when it involves the hips, which will affect daily bodily motion. There is a chance that it can happen to anyone, no matter how old. Treatment will depend on the severity of the trauma and usually involves surgery to place a metal implant to cmend the broken bones. If there is a problem after surgery or the accident severely affected the hip joint, hip joint replacement surgery is necessary to restore mobility.
Traumas That Require Hip Joint Replacement Surgery
The types of traumas that require hip joint replacement surgery are:
- Old injuries that shattered the hip bone causing jagged joint surface. In such case, as time goes by, the hip joint may deteriorate prematurely because of the rugged surface.
- Cartilage tear from playing sports that involve a lot of hip movement, suh as baseball, basketball, tennis, and gymnastics. If the cartilage in the hip is torn, it will cause friction leading to osteoarthritis of the hip.
- Broken hip that requires metal implants and repair due to collapsed hip bone or development of osteonecrosis.
In cases where the patient suffered a trauma that required metal implants to mend the broken hip bone, the orthopedic surgeon will perform hip joint replacement surgery and follow up every 2 – 3 months.
Osteonecrosis and Hip Metal Implants
When metal implants are required, they may cause ostenoecrosis since the placement of the implants may interrupt the blood vessels that feed the femoral head causing bone necrosis. Furthermore, the metal pins may poke through the joint leading to premature osteoporosis. In such cases, hip joint replacement surgery will be necessary.
Risks from Hip Metal Implant Surgery
- Higher risk of infection
- Higher risk of broken bone during surgery since the surgeon needs to remove the implant before performing joint replacement surgery
Because accidents that cause broken hips can happen to younger patients due to extreme activities, such as riding motorcycles or playing extreme sports, chances of hip joint replacment surgery will go up. However, new surgical technique does not involve the muscles, except to hide surgical scarres near the groin. Since the surgery does not involve cutting into the muscles, it is less painful, and patients may have quicker recovery as well as gain mobility by spending just 2 – 4 days in the hospital. They can soon return to their normal routines.
