Total Hip Replacement

A Total Hip Replacement (THR) is probably the most common major orthopaedic procedure performed in the UK, with around 40,000 operations completed each year. THR is commonly performed for arthritis and can provide an excellent solution for arthritic pain. The success rate of the THR procedure is high and over 95% of patients have good outcomes.

What happens in surgery?

Replacing a damaged or arthritic hip involves making an incision along the outside of the upper thigh. This is usually about 15-20 cms long and whilst the incision is not in a particularly discreet area, the scar left by the procedure usually heals very well in this area. You may have been made aware of the possibility of a THR using mini-incisions. At this moment in time Joint Reaction do not offer this type of THR as we are concerned about reports regarding the safety of this method.

Total Hip Replacement

Once the incision has been made the damaged or diseased parts of the hip (the femoral head and the cup into which it fits) are removed and replaced with the artificial joint. Joint Reaction only use the best quality hip replacements that have been tried and tested and in active use for at least ten years with exemplary results. The operation usually takes around 90 minutes to complete.

After a Hip Replacement

When you wake up in recovery you will be lying on your back. Often the anaesthetist will have put local anaesthetic around the large nerves in your thigh, so your leg may feel numb and a little weak. This will wear off after about 4 hours.

You will have some pain but this is often much less than you might expect, and the pain of the arthritis should have gone completely.

On the day after the operation you will have an x-ray to check the new hip is well positioned, and the physiotherapists will start you off on some bed exercises. If you are making good progress you may well be asked to try standing up with assistance from the physio. Over the next few days you will do progressively more, steadily improving your movement and walking so that you should be able to move confidently with crutches, including ascending and descending stairs, by day 4 or 5.

Post-op physiotherapy will be arranged and can be done either at the hospital or at a local physiotherapy practice. This will continue for a few weeks and during this time you will see a constant improvement in your mobility as you gain strength and confidence. After a minimum of 4-6 weeks you may reduce down to one crutch while you are at home but we would advise you stick to two when you are out of the house.

Lifespan of a hip replacement

It is important to understand that a hip replacement is artificial and will, eventually, wear out. During the lifespan of the THR you should live as normal a life as possible but we would not recommend that you run or do any high impact sports as these may cause the hip to wear faster.

Over 90% of new hips are functioning well 10 years after the operation in the 'over 65' age group. In younger more active patients this figure is lower.

Clare Park Hospital | Crondall Lane | Crondall | Farnham | Surrey | GU10 5XX

© Joint Reaction 2008