Hip joint replacement

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Hip fracture

Hip joint replacement - series

Osteoarthritis vs. rheumatoid arthritis

You will experience moderate to severe pain after surgery. However, you may receive patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), intravenous (IV) analgesics, or epidural (via the spinal cord) analgesics to control your pain for the first 3 days after surgery.

The pain should gradually decrease, and by the third day after surgery, oral analgesic medications may be sufficient to control your pain. Try to schedule your pain medications about one-half hour before walking or changing position.

You will also return from surgery with several IV lines in place to provide fluids and nutrition. The IV will remain in place until you are drinking adequate amounts of fluids.

If the procedure is elective (planned in advance rather than in response to an injury), you can donate blood several weeks prior to surgery to replace any blood lost during the procedure.

Sometimes, the blood that is drained from the wound during surgery is collected in a special sterile container to be re-infused through an IV after surgery.

You will also return from surgery wearing "anti-embolism" stockings or inflatable "pneumatic compression" stockings. These devices are used to reduce your risk of developing blood clots, which are more common after leg surgery.

Start moving and walking early after surgery. On the first day after surgery, you should get out of bed to a chair. When in bed, perform ankle exercises frequently to prevent development of blood clots.

You may be instructed on how to use a spirometer (a plastic device that indicates how much air is breathed in at one time) to gradually increase the depth of your respirations, and to perform deep breathing and cough procedures to prevent pneumonia.

A Foley catheter may be inserted during surgery to monitor your kidney function and hydration level. This will be removed on the second or third day after surgery. You will be encouraged to try to walk to the bathroom with assistance.

Hip joint replacement is primarily done in people age 60 and older. The operation is usually not recommended for younger people because of the strain they can put on the artificial hip, causing it to fail prematurely.