5 Conditions that Require Hip Replacement Surgery

If a fracture or arthritis has injured your hip, walking and getting in and out of the chair or bed will be painful.

When medications, making changes in your daily activities, and walking supports don’t help with your symptoms then surgery is a safe and effective procedure that will pain relief, increase motion, and help you to go back to your everyday activities.

Because we all know, “A fit body, a calm mind, a house full of love. These things cannot be bought – they must be earned.” – Naval Ravikant

What is Hip Replacement Surgery?

Hip replacement surgery or hip arthroplasty is a surgical technique that helps to remove the diseased parts of the hip joints and replace them with new ones.

If you have these given diseases then you might need surgery such as:

• Arthritis such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.
• Osteonecrosis appears when parts of the bone die because of decreased blood supply.

Hip replacement surgery is recommended if you have a fracture in your hip from any injury such as a fall or any bone disease.

5 Conditions that Require Hip Replacement Surgery

Here are the conditions below that you should be aware of for hip replacement.

1. Osteoarthritis (most common)

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common forms of arthritis that affects millions of people. It appears when the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones wears off over time. Arthritis can affect any joint such as the hands, knees, hip, and spine.

Causes

It occurs when the cartilage that cushions the ends of the bones falls off and eventually, when it happens bone will rub on the bone and cause severe pain.

Although some direct damages cause osteoarthritis such as:

• Sports injuries.
• Falls.
• Car accidents.

Symptoms

• Pain. 
• Stiffness. 
• Tenderness. 
• Loss of flexibility. 
• Grating sensation. 
• Bone spurs. 
• Swelling.

Diagnosis

• X-rays 
• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or CT (computed tomography) scan.
• blood tests 

2. Rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease that affects joints, it appears when the immune system that protects the body from any infection or disease attacks tissues in joints, which causes pain, swelling, stiffness, and loss of function in joints.

Causes

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease where the body's immune system attacks its healthy tissues in joints. It can also cause other health problems such as your heart, lungs, nerves, eyes, and skin. Doctors don’t know the exact reason, although it can be genetic, environmental causes, or sex hormones that trigger the disease.

Symptoms

• Tender, warm, swollen joints
• Joint stiffness
• Fatigue, fever, and loss of appetite

Diagnosis

• Medical history.
• Physical examination.
• Blood tests.
• Imaging tests

3. Osteonecrosis (avascular necrosis)

In osteonecrosis, blood flow to part of a bone is disrupted which results in the death of bone tissues bones can break down and joints will collapse. Osteonecrosis has other names as well such as:

• Avascular necrosis.
• Aseptic necrosis.
• Ischemic necrosis of bone.

Causes

• Using oral or intravenous steroids
• Excessive alcohol use
• Sickle cell disease or any blood condition
• Dislocation or fractures around a joint
• Clotting disorders
• HIV or taking HIV drugs
• Radiation therapy or chemotherapy
• Gaucher disease
• Systemic lupus erythematosus
• Legg-Calve-Perthes disease
• Decompression sickness

Symptoms

• Pain in joints and become severe over time.
• Pain that occurs at rest
• Limited range of motion
• Groin pain
• Limping
• Difficulty with overhead movement
• Worsening arthritic symptoms

Diagnosis

• X-ray
• MRI
• Bone scan
• CT scan

4. Hip fracture

A hip fracture is a break in the upper portion of the thighbone which mostly appears in elderly people whose bone density gets weak because of osteoporosis. When hip fractures appear in adults, they can be caused by falling from the ladder of a vehicle.

Causes

Falling is the most common reason for hip fracture among elderly people but it happens spontaneously if you are young then hip fracture is caused by a car accident, a fall from height, or severe trauma.

Symptoms

• Difficulty to get up or walk
• Severe pain in the hip
• Inability to put weight on the leg
• Bruising and swelling

Diagnosis

• MRI
• CT scan
• Bone scan

5. Tumor in the hip joint.

Bone cancer in the hip is rare which begins in the bone. It causes pain but it can be due to another cause.

There are types of bone cancer that affect the hip such as:

• Osteosarcoma
• Chondrosarcoma
• Ewing sarcoma
• Multiple myeloma
• Chordoma
• Leukemia

 Causes

• Benign bone tumors,
• Multiple exostoses
• Paget’s disease
• History of radiation therapy

Symptoms

• Pain
• Fractures
• A lump or swelling in the area
• Numbness, tingling, or weakness
• Fatigue
• Unexplained weight loss

Diagnosis

• Physical examination
• X-rays
• Bone scan
• CT scan
• MRI scan
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scan
• Angiogram
• Bone tissue sample for laboratory testing
• Blood tests  

Conclusion

Hip replacement surgery is an option for patients with damaged or diseased hip joints and there are many reasons why hip replacement surgery is performed such as hip fracture, Osteoarthritis, hip tumor, etc that can be treated surgically.

So, if you have any kind of hip disease or damage then you need to see the doctor.