June 25, 2008

Osteoarthritis of The Hip and Replacement Surgery

Posted in Category : Bone, Joint & Muscles Disorders

Osteoarthritis can affect any joint, which bears some amount of pressure. The hip is one part of the body, which has to bear the maximum pressure. The hip joint, which is the junction of the femur and acetabulum, bears the whole weight of the body during the vigorous activities as running, jumping, etc. as a result of this the chances of development of osteoarthritis in the hip also are very high and many cases of osteoarthritis of the hip do arise in the world.

The hip joint is one of the major joints in the body. Therefore, surgery is the last option for the treatment of the osteoarthritis of the hip. Prior to this the other methods as medications, physical therapies, nutritional supplements etc have been tried out without any effect.

The modern technique of the hip replacement surgery was developed in 1970s by John Charnley who worked at the wrightington Hospital. Today hip replacement surgery has become one of the most common procedures in orthopedics.

As the hip region consists of some important parts, the surgery has to be done carefully. Prior to Surgery, the doctor will study the case carefully. With the help of X-rays, he will get a complete idea about the anatomy of the patient’s hip.

The femoral part of the artificial hip is generally made from suitable metal as stainless steel. The acetabular part is made from telfon or the more recent, high molecular weight polyethylene. Also acrylic bone cement is used for fusing the joint. However, polished tapered cemented hip replacement and un-cemented hip replacement has become more popular these days.

There are some risks of development of complications as infection etc. However, recently the technique has progressed so much that hardly any cases of complications occur. Thus, it has become a probably safe surgery and that is why it is so widely done throughout the world.

Besides this, there are some advantages of hip replacement surgery, in cases of osteoarthritis of the hip. One of the most important advantages is that when the osteoarthritis progresses to a very severe stage the hip replacement surgery of the hip is the only method of relief. Then the second advantage is that it provides a permanent relief from osteoarthritis of the hip.