Hip Replacement Complications

Undergoing a hip replacement, or total hip arthroplasty, can free a person from pain and limited mobility. Most patients are standing and beginning to walk a day after they undergo surgery. Nonetheless, while considering hip replacement as a solution to your health issues you should be aware that there are potentially serious complications that accompany surgery.

The Facts

• Hip replacement surgery is performed when a hip is diseased or damaged and is causing chronic pain and interfering with mobility. After administering general or spinal anesthesia to the patient, the surgeon removes the hip joint and replaces it with a prosthesis designed to resist wear and tear. After recovering from surgery, the new hip should allow the patient to live free of pain and oafford him greater mobility.

Surgical Risks

• The most serious complication that can occur during or after surgery is infection, though most cases can be cured by antibiotics. However, if the infection runs deep enough into your hip your doctor might need to remove the prosthesis and replace it with another. There is also a risk that you could experience fractures in healthy parts of your hip joint. If they are small enough they will heal on their own, but larger fractures require wires or bone grafts to correct.

Deep Vein Thrombosis

• Another concern is deep vein thrombosis, or blood clots, which can threaten the veins in your leg and severely limit your mobility after surgery. Clots are dangerous because they can travel to your lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism, which can be life-threatening. Your doctor would typically prescribe blood thinners, compression devices for your leg and recommend exercise to help prevent a clot from forming.

New Joint Issues

• You are at risk for hip dislocation for up to six weeks after surgery, which can cause a great deal of pain and make it difficult to walk. You could also experience ossification, which is the hardening of soft tissues around your hip joint, though there are medications that can help prevent this. Over time, your new joint could also loosen, which would cause hip pain to return and require surgery to repair.

Other Complications

• Another potential complication is the surgery causing your affected leg to emerge longer or shorter than your other leg, which can lead to walking difficulties and back pain. In this case you may need to rely on shoe lifts to compensate. There is also a risk that your new hip will eventually wear out and you will need a second surgery to replace the prosthesis.