Hi there art here welcome to my blog what have I got for you this week?
Today I am going to talk about what can cause you to have a total hip replacement operation and how to aid your recovery.
I can relate to this first-hand as a few years ago I had a total hip replacement. It started as a dull ache then months later it became painful. I found I could not walk up and downstairs without pain shooting down my leg and I could not lie on it as it became painful and it would wake me up every night. I had to stop playing squash and I was taking pain killers day and night.
HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? WHAT ARE THE CAUSES?
One of the main causes for a hip replacement is due to osteoarthritis which is a wear and tear of the joint. The hip joint is a synovial ball and socket joint and the ball and socket surfaces are covered with hyaline cartilage and this special cartilage get worn away, the joint space gets lost and the synovial fluid dries up then you get bone surfaces rubbing together which is why the joint becomes stiff and painful.
AGE, INJURY and OBESITY
These are the more common causes along with constant joint stress and females suffer with arthritis more than males. I showed you an Xray of my hip pelvis in my vlog which shows the difference between my left hip which has joint space between the ball and socket, whereas my right-side hip had no joint space and it was completely obliterated and bone was clearly on bone which was the reason for my severe pain and loss of range of movement. It even caused me to limp.
SYMPTOMS
What are the symptoms and signs of an arthritic hip joint? Groin pain, buttock pain, knee pain. Joint stiffness like putting shoes and socks on. Loss of strength and the whole leg feeling heavy.
IN HOSPITAL
After a hip operation you will be expected to exercise your hip from day one and begin walking with a pair of crutches. On my first day the physios walked me along the corridor and directed me up a flight of stairs 12 steps up and down this is to make sure that you are safe on stairs when it comes to being discharged from hospital and sent home. I showed you a video of me walking with one crutch and I said that “this was on my third day” I knew it was my third day after my hip operation because I was using one crutch whereas in day one and two, I was using two crutches.
In hospital the main aim of physiotherapy is to get you walking and to use crutches and to get up and down stairs safely. Physiotherapy for me was first thing in the morning you might have physiotherapy at different times of the day, but you can do your own physiotherapy a couple of times during the day if you feel up to it. Do not overdo it in the early stage your hip needs time to recover which can take six to twelve weeks.
WHAT CAN YOU DO TO AID YOUR RECOVERY?
In the afternoon I would practice my walking and do static exercises, I would hold the outside of my thigh and push it out for five seconds and then I would push my knees together for five seconds and then put my hands-on top of my thigh and tried to lift my leg and resist it for five seconds I would repeat all these three exercises five to ten times. I felt comfortable doing this but as I said before do not over do it in your early days. Static exercises are really good if you have an arthritic hip and your hip is not severe enough for you to have an operation.
MANAGING YOUR OA HIP
What can you do to help your hip if you have got osteoarthritis (OA) and is not severe enough for an operation? The best forms of exercise to do are what we call low impact exercises like rowing, static bike, cross trainer, stairs and stepper exercise machines, swimming, walking not too far and always do some stretching after exercising when the joint is warm and feels comfortable. If like me your pain gets severe you might have to take some anti-inflammatory medication and painkillers, I also had an injection six months before my hip operation but unfortunately the steroid injection had no effect but always consult your doctor before taking medications.
For now, though stay safe, be well, bye for now.