Total Hip Replacement Specialist

When might I need a total hip replacement?

Common activities such as walking, climbing stairs, or getting in and out of a chair may become painful and difficult, if your hip has been damaged by arthritis, fracture, or other conditions. You may experience stiffness, decreased range of motion (such as putting on your shoes and socks), and pain after activities (walking, sporting activities, climbing stairs).

If medications, activity modifications, injections, and the use of walker or a cane can not adequately help your pain, you may consider hip replacement surgery.

Hip replacement surgery is a safe and effective procedure that can relieve your pain, increase motion, and help you get back to enjoying normal, everyday activities.

First performed in 1960, hip replacement surgery is one of the most successful orthopedic operations. Improvements in joint replacement surgical techniques and technology have greatly increased the effectiveness of total hip replacement.

Most total hip replacements are done to treat arthritis of the hip. When you have arthritis, cartilage progressively degenerates. As more of the cartilage wears away, the hip joint becomes bone on bone, resulting in pain, stiffness, and loss of mobility that can become debilitating. The recommended treatment for advanced arthritis is a total hip replacement.

Dr. Park may also recommend a total hip replacement to treat a severe hip fracture or avascular necrosis, a condition in which your hip bone starts to die due to interrupted blood supply to the femoral head.

How is a total hip replacement performed?

During a total hip replacement, Dr. Park removes arthritic bone and the damaged cartilage in the hip joint. Once, the bones are clean and prepared, he inserts a prosthetic metal socket

A metal stem is inserted into the center of the femur bone, and then Dr. Park adds a plastic or ceramic liner that replaces your original cartilage. For the final step, the prosthetic ball, made of either metal or ceramic, and socket are connected to create your new joint.

Which approach is best for me?

Several different surgical approaches and many variations of techniques exist for total hip replacement, and there are three popular approaches: Direct Anterior, Lateral, and Posterior.

Each one offers unique benefits and is tailored based on the patient’s specific situation. There is no comparative study that provides convincing proof that one approach is superior to another and the best approach remains controversial.

Based on Dr. Park’s experience and study of the most current scientific research available, he currently performs both the Direct Anterior and the Posterior approach for all his patients.

What is revision surgery?

The lifespan of a total hip replacement is usually 20-25  years, however, with the current technology, on-going investigations have suggested that well-placed hip replacement may last longer.

In some cases, however, the prosthetic implants fail earlier than expected, often because the hip replacement components become loose, unstable, or infected. When that happens, you’ll need revision surgery to address the problem.

During revision surgery, Dr. Park replaces one or more prosthetic components, and he may also need to rebuild the bone or use a specialized prosthesis.

What is hip infection surgery?

In rare cases, the joint with a hip replacement becomes infected, which is a devastating complication. Currently, the incidence of hip infection after joint replacement is approximately 0.5-1%.

Infections can spread from anywhere in your body and at any time, from right after your surgery to many years later.

Your risk for a joint replacement infection increases if you have an immune deficiency, smoking history,  diabetes, obesity, rheumatoid arthritis or other inflammatory arthritis, prior history of joint infection, or peripheral vascular disease (PVD). Patients receiving immunosuppressive treatments, such as chemotherapy and immunomodulators, are also at a higher risk.

Once the infection goes deeper into the artificial joint, Dr. Park performs surgery to remove the infected tissues, remove the hip prosthesis, and place the antibiotic cement spacer.

Don’t struggle with hip pain any longer. Call the Houston office of Kwan (Kevin) Park, MD, or schedule an appointment online today.