Hip ops have taken major strides
to cut through the muscles around the hip. Postoperative pain is less, as there’s no injury to the soft tissues.
3. CUSTOM-MADE IMPLANTS IMPLANTS may be custom templated before surgery, to ensure the optimum fit with minimal bone loss, leading to improved range of movement afterwards.
4. CEMENT ALTERNATIVES DURING hip replacement surgery, the head of the femur (thigh bone), also called the ball, which forms half of the hip joint, is removed from its socket, and a new artificial ball and socket are fixed in place. Mr Gikas says traditionally, acrylic cement was used to fix these components in place but now there’s another option.
“It’s becoming more common, especially in younger and more active patients, for the hip components to be inserted without any cement. Bone is a living substance and will continue to grow and bond itself over time if it’s strong and healthy. So, instead of cement, surgeons are simply roughening the surface of the implants to allow the bone to grow onto the prosthetic surface naturally. It helps to ensure better results and longer lifetime of the hip replacement.”
5. STRONGER IMPLANT MATERIALS TRADITIONALLY, a metal alloy or plastic prosthesis would have been used in hip replacements, but one of the biggest advances in the surgery is the implant materials used. New materials have been developed, such as ceramic and special plastics, allowing high durability and prolonging the lifespan of the prosthesis.
6. ROBOTICS
ACCURATE positioning of the ball implant is key to a successful hip replacement and for this reason, orthopaedic surgeons are now using techniques such as robotics or instruments designed for the unique anatomy of each patient.
“This helps ensure implants are aligned to the patient’s unique anatomy with as much precision as possible, allowing better function and lower risk of complications.”
7. FASTER RECOVERY TIMES GENERALLY speaking, the length of hospital stay for hip replacement surgery varies depending on the technique used, and Mr Gikas says that with traditional posterior operations, patients may need to stay in for three to seven days. Full recovery can take six to 12 weeks, due to precautions that need to be observed, such as not crossing the legs, or sleeping on your side.
But with the modern anterior muscle sparing approach, hospital time is significantly decreased, with the average length of stay between 48-72 hours. In some cases, patients have gone home as quickly as day one after surgery, and will usually be back to normal within two to four weeks.