Hip replacement is a major surgery
and it is necessitated by the patients of arthritis or it can be the case of
severe injury on the hip bone. It is important to understand what makes the
pain so severe that paves way for this major surgery.
The hip bone consists of a ball
and socket joint that is made up of acetabulum and it is one of the largest
joints in the body. It forms the base to the pelvis bone and injury or damage
to this portion can completely curtail daily physical movements. The ball and
the socket joint is surrounded by articular cartilage that cushions the joints
and synovial membrane surrounding hip, facilitates easy movement of the joint
by lubricating the cartilage. When there is damage on the hip joint, either
cartilage gets worn out or the synovial
membrane gets dried out, which leads to friction in the joint movement.
The patient suffers severe pain
that hampers his day to day physical activities. One should consult a primary doctor who will first give the
medications and other therapy options to heal the pain. If the treatment
doesn’t offer the required solution then the doctor will suggest you to consult
an orthopedic surgeon.
There are certain signs and symptoms that will give you sufficient hint
to consult the doctor for hip replacement:
Unable to walk properly:
If your hip joint pain has reached to an extreme level where you are not able
to go for a walk, feel discomfort while travelling and shopping and doing other
basic physical movements, then it is time to consult the surgeon.
Unable to climb stairs or get up:
If you are not able to do simple physical movements like climbing the stairs,
getting up from chair then it shows the signs of severe stiffness in the hip
joint, which is preventing you to make simple moves. If you feel that you need
a support of a person or a wall while getting up from a sitting position and
also if you are using walking stick or other support then you should not delay
to consult the orthopaedician.
Pain persisting day and night:
If the hip/groin pain is so severe and long lasting that it keeps you awake day
and night, then it shows the sign of severe damage to the hip joint and
tissues. You will feel discomfort while
sleeping as well and you don’t feel at rest even when there is no physical
activity.
Pain Increased in Humid Weather:
If you observe that your hip joint gets
inflamed in humid and wet weather, it may be a sign of severe damage in the bone.
You would be feeling more pain and stiffness in the hip joint in such weather.
No relief from other treatments:
If the medication , physiotherapy and other treatment options are not giving you much relief then you might
be a candidate for a hip replacement surgery.
It must be noted that the
aforementioned symptoms indicate hip replacement, but are not necessarily archetypical
to replacement surgery. These symptoms may or may not indicate other underlying
problems. However, in any such cases, it is the best to visit your doctor to
rule out whether it is time for
Joint replacement surgery or any other treatment which are still not diagnosed of.