Have you recently undergone hip replacement surgery to help you regain movement and relieve pain? If your answer is yes, you may be looking for ways to protect your new hip without taking any risks. Most of the people who undergo hip replacement surgery live a healthy and active life, but a small percentage of first-time surgery patients, around 3-4%, experience hip dislocation.
Long in short, it is essential to prevent discoloration after the replacement surgery; for that, you need to consult an orthopedic surgeon and discuss the challenges you are going through. If you are searching for one, you can connect with an experienced orthopedic surgeon at Simpain Ortho, the best platform to find surgeons for Partial Hip Replacement in Delhi. Moreover, here in this article, we will explore how to avoid dislocation after hip replacement surgery, so let’s start!
Hip Dislocation
Hip dislocation is a painful condition in which the ball joint of your hips comes out of its socket. It generally occurs due to traumatic injury or artificial hip replacement. A dislocated hip is a significant medical emergency. It can lead to acute pain and disable your leg until it is corrected, causing long-term damage if not updated at the right time.
Partial Hip Dislocation
Medically, it is termed as Subluxation. It means that your ball joint has shifted partially out of its socket but is not out. It generally occurs in people having hip dysplasia and hip replacement.
Does Hip Pain Indicates That Your Hip Is Dislocated?
Your hip is one of the most secure joints in your body and plays an important function. It takes a lot to dislocate a hip joint unless you have a prosthetic hip or hip dysplasia. A dislocated hip is painful, so if you are experiencing hip pain, chances are high that your hip is dislocated; it is better to consult your Orthopedic Doctor in Delhi at that time.
Symptoms of Hip Dislocation
Common symptoms of hip dislocation include:
- Acute pain
- Muscle spasms
- Inability to move your leg
- Unable to wear weight on your leg
- The hip is visibly out of place
- Loss of feeling in your hip or foot
- The leg is rotated outward or inward
Causes
Hip dislocation is generally the result of a traumatic injury. It takes a lot of force to push your hip joint out of the socket, for example, a car crash, a fall from height, or a sports or industrial workplace injury. Moreover, if you or your child are dealing with a hip problem (dysplasia), the joint can easily be moved with less force. And if you have gone through a hip replacement surgery, you are at a higher risk of getting a hip dislocation.
What Are The Complications of Hip Dislocation?
A dislocated hip joint can damage your nearby nerves, blood vessels, and tissues, which may need to be worked on separately. In some cases, this damage can lead to long-term consequences, including:
- Nerve Damage
- Arthritis
- Osteonecrosis
What Precautions Do You Take To Avoid A Hip Dislocation After Hip Replacement Surgery?
It would help if you discussed with your doctor the factors to take into account to reduce the risk of hip replacement dislocation, such as:
- What Surgical Approach To Use: Two approaches are used for hip replacement surgery: anterior and posterior. Your surgeon will determine the method depending on your health condition.
- Material of The Implant: Hip replacement implants are created from metal, plastic, and ceramic materials. When using specialised implants like metal-on-metal hip replacements, your surgeon will use a giant formal head to lower the dislocation risk.
- Implant Size: Formal head size no longer comes in a single size. In the last decade, there have been significant improvements to the size. Adjusting the size of the femoral head can prevent dislocation, and surgeons prefer larger femoral heads as they are less likely to dislocate from the socket.
These are the precautions taken by the surgeon performing hip replacement surgery. The security measures to avoid dislocation after the surgery are listed below.
Security Measures To Take After Hip Replacement Surgery
To prevent hip dislocation after the hip replacement surgery are:
- Apply ice to reduce pain
- Do not sit all day; keep walking
- Use a high toilet seat and sit in high chairs
- Avoid using bathtub
- Keep a pillow between your knees when laying
- Do exercises recommended by the therapist to develop your hip muscles
- Avoid driving for at least two months post-surgery
- Try to avoid stair-climbing
- Do not do strenuous exercise and weight-lifting
- Ask someone to assist you with putting shoes on because bending can lead to hip dislocation
Besides the above-listed ones, some precautions come with your position. Let’s discuss them too.
Hip Precautions While Standing
- Point your toes in the forward direction
- Do not cross your legs
- Avoid turning your shoulders or your waist towards the affected leg while standing
- Say no to those postures where your knees will be higher than your hips
- Avoid stooping or kneeling
Guidelines For Taking Care of Your Hips While Sitting
- Try to sit in an arm-supported seat. Meditating or sitting, lean on the chair’s arms to support and maintain balance.
- Avoid putting your legs together.
- Do not lean forward when rising from a seated position.
- Ensure your hips are not lower than your knees when seated.
- Put a pillow on the chair’s seat to ensure your hips remain higher than your knees.
Suggestions To Follow To Avoid Hip Dislocation While Laying Down
- Do not sleep on your stomach
- Put a pillow between your lacks and try to sleep on your back
- Avoid bringing your knees up to your chest
- Try not to sleep on the side of your replaced hip
- Make sure the toes on your affected leg don’t point in
Conclusion
Dislocating a hip after hip replacement is not something to mess around with! The treatment depends on your hip’s condition. If you are dealing with a hip dislocation, you need to take immediate action and consult your doctor as early as possible.
Whether you are looking for partial hip replacement or Partial Knee Replacement in Delhi, you can use the portal Simpain Ortho to find yourself the best orthopedic surgeon. Their rich experience and compassionate attitude will provide the most effective treatment and additional services for your hip condition.
