At the most basic level, hip replacement operations are performed when the hip can no longer perform the basic actions required for safe and painless movement. But considering the hip and knees are the two most commonly replaced joints in the body, there has to be a number of different underlying causes for the need for a replacement operation. As a matter of fact, there are, and we highlight some of the common conditions that could lead to your need for a minimally invasive hip replacement operation in today’s blog.
Why You Need A New Hip
Dr. Botero has treated a number of patients who were dealing with a wide variety of conditions that led to the eventual need for a hip replacement. Here’s a closer look at some of the common health conditions that could compromise the integrity of your hip.
- Osteoarthritis – Osteoarthritis of the hip occurs when the flexible tissue in the hip joint begins to wear down, making movement painful and limiting your flexibility. Caught early on, it may be able to be treated with physical therapy and other conservative modalities, but because the condition cannot be reversed, more advanced stages of the condition call for a hip replacement operation.
- Rheumatoid Arthritis – Caused by chronic inflammation in the hip joint, RA can lead to many of the above symptoms, including pain, joint stiffness and localized swelling, all of which can disrupt normal joint function. Again, mild symptoms can be treated with conservative care, but RA is a common reason why patients elect to undergo hip replacement surgery.
- Osteonecrosis – This condition involves a problem with the blood supply to the femoral head. When this area can’t get a healthy blood supply, the bone in the head of your femur dies and being to collapse, affecting the articular cartilage covering the hip bones. Eventually this will lead to hip arthritis if not addressed with hip replacement surgery.
- Fractures/Significant Trauma – If you suffer a significant hip fracture or a severe injury that compromises the integrity of the hip (or it is unlikely that you hip will heal as needed to function properly), a hip replacement surgery may be a better option than hoping the complex fracture heals perfectly.
- Tumors – Finally, if doctors uncover a tumor in the hip or in an area that compromises the integrity of the joint, they may opt to remove the tumor and replace the hip joint all at once. If the tumor is in the cartilage producing cells of the hip joint, hip replacement surgery is often the preferred course of treatment.
Aside from all the above causes, general pain and discomfort is also a common cause for hip replacement. Many times this discomfort stems from one of the above conditions, but it doesn’t need to. If hip pain is affecting your quality of life, talk to Dr. Botero to learn more about your options and to see if hip replacement could be the right move for your body.
