| Surgery is never fun for anyone and if you are | | | | cartilage and damaged bone. The new hip joint will be |
| scheduled to have hip surgery in the near future, it is | | | | placed inside the socket by using a metal screw |
| important for you to know all you can about hip joint | | | | which will go directly into your thigh bone. All of your |
| replacement. This surgery is also called hip | | | | new hip "equipment" will be kept securely in place by |
| anthroplasty, hip heriarthroplasty and total hip | | | | special adhesives. When all of this is done, your |
| replacement. When you have your surgery, you may | | | | surgeon will close the incision and you'll be sent to the |
| have all or just part of your hip joint replaced by an | | | | recovery room to be monitored for an hour or so. |
| artificial hip prosthesis. Most people come through the | | | | Hip joint replacement surgery is most often |
| surgery feeling better and able to walk much more | | | | performed on people who have become crippled with |
| evenly and with less pain. | | | | arthritis. These people cannot get around comfortably |
| Most likely you will be given a general anesthesia | | | | and experience severe pain when standing, walking |
| when you have your surgery. This is best for most | | | | and even sitting. They are limited to the amount of |
| people because you will be completely unaware of | | | | daily activity they can participate in. Most hip |
| what's happening during your surgery. Some | | | | replacement patients are in their 60s or older. Doing |
| physicians prefer to administer an epidural anesthesia | | | | this surgery on younger people isn't as successful in |
| which leaves you awake but unable to feel anything | | | | the long run because these individuals put more |
| from the waist down. | | | | stress on the artificial hip, causing it to deteriorate |
| The surgery itself has become quite common and | | | | much more rapidly. However, hip replacement surgery |
| generally takes about three hours. Your surgeon will | | | | has made life much, much better for older individuals. |
| make an incision and remove the head of your thigh | | | | After a short recovery period, they are again able to |
| bone. Then, he or she will clean the hip socket of | | | | enjoy life to its fullest and with little, if any, pain. |