If you feel you might need a hip replacement, you might be rather nervous about the idea. What will surgery be like? How long will you have to undergo physical therapy? How long will it take for you to fully recover? There are a lot of questions on your mind and you will want to know as much as possible before you undergo hip replacement.
Before you go through with the procedure, your doctor will likely do a full and thorough physical exam on you. He might also do some x-rays in order to take a look at the structure of your bones. You will likely have to undergo blood tests, MRI scans, and even CT scans. All of these things simply help your surgeons understand exactly what is going on inside your body so they know just what to do.
Before the procedure, if you are overweight, it is a good idea to try to lose some of that excess weight. The healthier your body is, the less stress you will put on your new joint. You might want to start with some pool exercises so that you know those routines for after your surgery. Exercising in the pool is low impact and can really help you get your new joint into shape fast.
You will also want to do a number of things to your home before you have the surgery. You should install some safety bars in your bathroom around the shower and toilet. You might want to get a shower bench as well and remove the throw rugs to keep you from tripping on them. Place all of the items you need on a regular basis around your bed so that you can easily reach them and try to think ahead and ask those in your life to help with your care when you get home.
When you go in for the surgery, general anesthesia will be used. This will block the pain from your body and keep you asleep throughout the surgery. When the surgery takes place, the doctor will cut into your hip along the joint and move the muscles out of the way. The damaged bone and cartilage will be taken out and the doctor will them put the prosthesis in place. Once the muscles are moved back into place, the doctor will close the incision on your hip.
Most people stay in the hospital for 4-6 days if they have had a total hip replacement and 1-2 days if the hip replacement was minimally invasive. Once they arrive home, they will need to walk with a walker for a week or longer and do physical therapy as well as take prescription medications to recover.
Hip Replacement Austin – If you want to know more about what a hip replacement in Austin entails, contact the orthopedic specialists in Austin, TX at Txortho.com or schedule an appointment for a consultation.
