Your new artificial hip will help you get back to doing a number of physical activities that were too daunting with your painful and weak hip, but that doesn’t mean all actions and movements are safe once you have a new hip. If you bend in the wrong way or put too much stress on the hip area, the artificial femur head can dislocate from the hip socket. If this happens to you, will you need another surgery to correct the problem? In today’s blog, we take a closer look at how a dislocation after a hip replacement operation is managed.
Hip Dislocation After Arthroplasty
Your doctor will walk you through some of the specific actions that they’ll want you to avoid after your hip replacement procedure, but typically they tell you to avoid bending forward while sitting down, to avoid crossing your legs while seated, and not to bend at the waist past 90 degrees. It’s especially important to follow these restrictions during the first three months of your recovery, as this is the time when your hip is most prone to dislocation. You still need to be mindful of your movement patterns after this period, but your supportive soft tissues will be stronger after you’ve undergone a few months of physical therapy exercises, so the hip should be less likely to dislocate by this point.
If you move your hip in the wrong manner or you suffer a significant fall and end up dislocating your hip, you’ll need to head back to the doctor’s office. A dislocated hip is quite painful and you’ll be unable to bear weight through the leg, but the good news is that in most instances a subsequent hip surgery is not required.
If you present to your hip specialist or an emergency room with a dislocated artificial hip, odds are your treating physician will attempt to reset the hip with what’s known as a closed reduction. This means that they will deliberately maneuver your hip and leg in such a manner that the artificial femur head returns to the hip socket. The specific maneuvers that will be used will depend on whether you suffered an anterior or posterior hip dislocation, but either method typically requires two doctors working together. One doctor helps to stabilize the hip area while the other maneuvers the leg and femur head until it returns to the socket. Working in tandem helps to safely relocate the hip while also reducing your risk of nerve damage.
If the doctors are unable to relocate the hip, or you suffer another dislocation after the closed reduction, another surgery may be in your future. Before surgery, your doctor will conduct a physical exam and some imaging tests to better understand why your artificial hip is unstable so that they can address the root cause during surgery. During the operation, fluid or hematoma is removed to reduce tension on the hip, then the connective soft tissues are artificially strengthened to help hold the hip in place.
You will likely pursue a similar rehabilitation plan regardless of whether your hip dislocation was managed with an open or closed reduction. You’ll need to follow specific activity and movement restrictions, and you’ll be expected to complete weeks of physical therapy. These PT exercises are essential for helping your supportive soft tissues become stronger and more functional, which will reduce your risk of a future dislocation.
Hopefully you’ll never need to be treated for a hip dislocation after a replacement procedure, but it’s a reality for a number of people every year. To reduce your risk of a hip dislocation, trust your operation and rehabilitation to Dr. Botero and his team. For more information, or for answers to any questions you have about hip or knee joint replacement, reach out to Dr. Botero’s office today at (865) 558-4444.
