Pain in your hip joints can make your life challenging. It’s not just the inflammation and soreness, but it interferes with your routine activities, like the ability to walk or carry on daily tasks. If you have tried prescribed medication and therapies, but see no improvement in pain or mobility, you might be considering a hip replacement surgery. However, making a decision about the surgery is not easy.
There are several factors to consider, including financial stability, age, health conditions, and family. The hip replacement surgeon in Thane will help you determine whether you are a good candidate for surgery. Usually, they recommend non-operative procedures even if you are diagnosed with arthritis. If the treatments do not work, the last resort is a surgical procedure, which involves replacing the damaged hip joint with an artificial joint.
Are You a Good Candidate for Hip Replacement?
Age is the first factor that a surgeon will consider before recommending hip replacement surgery. It’s important to remember that a new hip joint has a specific lifespan, post which, it will need replacement. The lifespan is shorter in people who are physically active or use their hip joints excessively.
Those who have entered their 60s are advised a total hip replacement if the non-surgical treatment hasn’t worked. Fortunately, they don’t require another surgery to replace the artificial joint. That’s why many patients are asked to delay the surgery until 50s or 60s.
Check Out Comprehensive Patient Guide to Hip Replacement Surgery In Mumbai
Severity of the Pain
Pain in the joints and reduced mobility can affect your mental and physical health. Some people experience extreme pain even when resting, making it really difficult to deal with it. If you have severe symptoms and serious damage to your hip joint, your surgeon might recommend hip replacement to improve your quality of life.
If your X-rays show advanced arthritis, which won’t go away with medication, surgery might be a good choice. Here’s when you should consult a doctor about getting hip replacement surgery.
- You experience severe pain every day, even when resting
- You can’t sleep because of pain
- Painkillers are not effective in reducing pain
- Rest, medication, and therapies are not working
If you can’t get up, move, or perform any physical activity because of the pain, you might probably need to get your hip replaced.
Are You Healthy for Surgery?
Hip replacement is not for everyone. Your doctor will advise you to delay it if you are currently on medication for another health condition. Before the surgery, the orthopedic specialist will carefully examine your physical ability, strength, and medical history to ensure your medical condition won’t interfere with the surgery.
For instance, an infection in the hip, pain in the chest, heart failure, damaged hip nerves, allergy to the artificial joints or the material used in its construction, and poor blood circulation, which might delay healing, are a few things that make hip replacement too risky. Consult your hip surgeon for more information about the safety of the surgery and when is the best time to schedule it.
