Hip Operations
Your Hip Operation at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre - A Patient's Guide
We have produced a guide for patient's who are having one of the following hip operations at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre:
- Total hip replacement for the first time
- Revision total hip replacement
- Hip resurfacing
This booklet will explain what to expect and what you need to do after your operation to help you recover as quickly as possible.
Download Your Hip Operation at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre - A Patient's Guide (pdf; 375 KB)
Total Hip Replacements
Total hip replacement is one of the most predictable and reliable medical procedures available. Total hip replacement has transformed the lives of many patients - giving them the opportunity to be active once again and experience less pain.
Total hip replacement is an operation designed to replace a hip joint that has been damaged, usually by arthritis. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint. The ball formed by the head of the femur and the socket being the acetabulum.
In a Total hip replacement operation, the surgeon replaces the worn head of the thigh bone with a metal or ceramic ball mounted on a stem, while the socket is resurfaced with a polyethylene (plastic) or metal cup that is lined with either a polyethylene, ceramic or metal liner. The components that are implanted are often called prosthesis. The prosthesis may be cemented in place with a filler or grout similar to dental cement, or securely pressed into place using no cement. Your surgeon will discuss with you the most appropriate combination of prosthesis.
Arthritic hip and replacement hip
Outcome
The ideal hip replacement achieves four goals:
- Relief of pain
- Restoration of mobility and function
- Correction of deformity, leg length inequality
- Good long term survival
Most patients recover well following their joint replacement. The complication rate for primary hip replacements is around 1-2% and the most common complications are as follows:
- Infection
- Thromboembolic Disease (Clots in the Legs are Lungs)
- Dislocation
- Bleeding
- Leg length inequality
- Fracture
- Nerve/ tendon/ vessel injury
- Continued pain and stiffness
- Revision surgery
- Medical complications
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