Hip joint replacement

Injury	Diseases	Nutrition	Poison
Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

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Your doctor may recommend a hip replacement for these problems:

You can't sleep through the night because of hip pain
Your hip pain has not gotten better with other treatments
Hip pain limits or prevents you from doing your normal activities, such as bathing, preparing meals, doing household chores, and walking

Other reasons for replacing the hip joint are:

Fractures in the thigh bone. Older adults often have hip replacement for this reason.
Hip joint tumors

Even when you need a hip replacement, some medical problems may lead your doctor to recommend that you not have it done. Some of these problems are:

History of infection, which can spread to the replaced joint
Morbid obesity (weighing over 300 pounds)
Severe mental dysfunction
Unhealthy skin around the hip
Very weak quadriceps, the muscles in the front of your thigh. Weak quadriceps could make it very hard for you to walk and use your hip.

Before the Procedure

Always tell your doctor or nurse what drugs you are taking, even drugs, supplements, or herbs you bought without a prescription

During the 2 weeks before your surgery:

Prepare your home.
Two weeks before surgery you may be asked to stop taking drugs that make it harder for your blood to clot. These include aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), naproxen (Naprosyn, Aleve), and other drugs.
Ask your doctor which drugs you should still take on the day of your surgery.
If you have diabetes, heart disease, or other medical conditions, your surgeon will ask you to see your doctor who treats you for these conditions.
Tell your doctor if you have been drinking a lot of alcohol, more than 1 or 2 drinks a day.
If you smoke, you need to stop. Ask your doctor or nurse for help. Smoking will slow down wound and bone healing.
Always let your doctor know about any cold, flu, fever, herpes breakout, or other illness you may have before your surgery.
You may want to visit a physical therapist to learn some exercises to do before surgery and to practice using crutches or a walker.