Expert advice on how to prepare for hip replacement surgery

Patients preparing to undergo any surgical procedure often have questions and concerns about specific aspects of their operation. For this reason, specialist advice and reassurance from an expert surgeon is invaluable in helping patients fully understand what is involved in their surgery and how best to make a good recovery. Mr Araz Massraf is a renowned consultant trauma and orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in the hip and knee. In this all-you-need-to-know guide to hip replacement surgery, he answers the questions he is most often asked by his patients and offers advice on how best to prepare for an upcoming operation of this type.

Can a hip replacement be performed at any age?

Yes, it can and this usually depends on the genetics of the patients. Some patients come to us for a hip replacement at as young as twenty years old so there's no age boundary. In cases such as these, the most important thing we tell the patient is that this operation should last you for lifetime, if possible. However, if patients have a hip replacement at a very young age go on to overuse their new prosthetic hip then that will be unlikely.

What are the latest advances in hip replacement procedures?

The latest research into improving hip replacement outcomes is aiming to find a better link between the bone itself and the prosthesis in order to prolong the life of the prosthesis. This will mean that hip replacements in young patients can last for forty or fifty years.

Revision surgery after a hip replacement is not a disaster but it is always better to avoid it wherever possible because every time we perform a replacement or revision surgery, the patient loses bone.

Although we continue to expand our knowledge with ongoing research, the traditional hip replacement procedure still offers excellent results and is backed by forty years of successful follow ups with patients. We continue to work to try to improve the link between the bone host, which is the patient, and the prosthesis implanted during surgery with the aim to make the prosthesis last even longer.

What are the benefits for patients who undergo hip replacement procedures?

Hip replacement is one of the most successful operations in a human history. If patients are at eight or nine out of ten on the pain scale with their hip problems, replacement surgery can take them to zero. The benefits of hip replacement surgery for the patient are incalculable, especially as many have been experiencing hip pain for a long period of time, during both the day and night which affected their sleep, mobility and daily activities.

How can patients prepare for a hip replacement?

I always tell patients that there is not too much they can do to prepare for hip replacement surgery but if they have a high BMI, it’s important to lose weight. This is crucial as the hip is a weight bearing joint and the best thing is to have less weight going through it in order to help the prosthesis to last longer.

This wear and tear on the joint is very similar to that of a car tire. If you are using the tire day and night and doing a lot of mileage on it, you will need to change it more frequently than one which you keep it in the garage overnight. The same principle applies to the hip prosthesis implanted during replacement surgery.

Along with weight loss for those with a high BMI, I would recommend patients maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly if possible but some patients aren’t able to as they have very little movement in the hip joint. Patients with other conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure should ensure they are well controlled and that they are taking any prescribed medication regularly to ensure they are fit for surgery.

What can patients expect from the recovery period following hip replacement surgery?

Patients should understand that hip replacement is a big operation, which typically takes three months overall to overcome. For the first six weeks following surgery, patients will use crutches and the leg will be swollen from six to eight weeks. This is part of the normal healing process and as patients are provided with anticoagulation medication to prevent blood clots, this can add to the swelling.

The best advice I can give is to keep the leg elevated, continue exercising and follow the instructions regarding the prosthetic joint carefully to prevent any dislocation. Maintaining a healthy diet through recovery is also important. Once the wound has healed, the next stage of recovery is getting rid of the crutches and starting to walk upright independently.

Getting back to normality again, with some limitations for around six months to a year, allows the body to find its way with the new prosthesis and for the usual processes within the body to take place. You should carry on crossing the legs or picking things up from the floor to allow the muscles to become stronger and the tissues to heal properly.

If you think you may benefit from a hip replacement and wish to make an appointment with Mr Massraf to discuss your options, you can do so by visiting his Top Doctors profile.