The hip joint is one of the joints most frequently subjected to wear and deterioration because it carries your weight. This condition is called osteoarthritis in medicine, or calcification in daily use, and is the most common disease of the hip. As in all joints, both the ball and socket of the hip joint are covered with cartilage.
The cartilage structure allows these two bones to glide over each other painlessly and with minimal friction. Hip joint calcification is the wear of the cartilage covering the bones that make up this joint for various reasons and the deformation of the underlying bones.
We can basically divide hip joint calcification into two. The first group, which we encounter more frequently, includes calcifications that occur as a result of the wear of the cartilages in the hip joint over time due to a congenital or acquired structural disorder (hip dislocation, arthritis, trauma, etc.), while the second group includes hip calcifications of undetermined cause, which we call idiopathic.
Although hip joint calcification is generally seen after the age of 60, it can also occur at very early ages, especially after congenital hip dislocation and hip joint diseases experienced in childhood.
Hip Arthritis Symptoms
The most important complaint is pain. The pain is aching and felt in the affected joint. In the early stages of the disease, pain increases with movement and decreases with rest. As the disease progresses, pain may become a problem even during simple daily activities. In later stages, constant pain may occur that disrupts night sleep patterns. The mobility of the joint may be restricted. The intensity of pain is not always constant. There may be good and bad days or even months, regardless of any reason. Some patients attribute this to the weather or think it is more related to physical activity.
How is the diagnosis made?
It is actually good whether the patient's complaints originate from the hip joint. It can be understood by an examination. But to make a differential diagnosis between hip joint diseases, an x-ray is usually taken. In some special cases, magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography examination may be required. Joint pathologies related to calcification, especially with MRI examination, have not yet been diagnosed with x-rays. It can be detected before it appears in science.
Treatment Methods
In the initial period, painkillers, supportive drugs that protect the cartilage or affect its healing, weight control or slimming if the patient is overweight. Reorganization of work and daily life and, if necessary, physical therapy are useful in controlling pain and the progression of the disease. In later periods, it is recommended to reduce the load on the hip with a cane or crutches.
During the advanced stages of the disease, definitive treatment is provided by surgical methods. Correcting angular problems by making incisions in the bone in the upper region of the femur and ensuring that the intact part of the cartilage forms the joint (femoral osteotomies) are surgical methods that have been used for a long time and give good results in suitable patients. These types of surgical interventions may delay patients' prosthesis surgery.
Today, the most effective and common method in the treatment of hip joint calcification or loss of cartilage tissue is hip prosthesis surgery. In this method, the damaged hip joint is completely removed and replaced with an artificial hip joint. This artificial joint consists of a metal sheath carved into the socket in the pelvis, a plastic or ceramic piece lining the inside of this sheath, a metal handle placed in the femur, and a metallic or ceramic knob mounted on the handle. The material lining the nest and forming the knob can be metal-metal, metal-plastic, ceramic-ceramic. Ceramic prostheses are preferred in young patients because they last longer.
The general acceptance in hip replacement surgery is that the surgery should be performed on patients over the age of 60-65. The reason for this choice is that the parts of the prosthesis wear out over time or the need for re-operation arises due to the loosening of the prosthesis in the bone. However, this acceptance does not mean that prosthesis surgery cannot be performed on young patients. In recent years, with the use of advanced technologies, the quality and durability of prosthetic materials have increased greatly. Today's prostheses can be used for 20-25 years when made in accordance with the technique. This surgery is of great benefit for patients with severe hip joint arthritis at a young age to live more active and close to normal lives.
Hip Replacement Surgery Results
Hip replacement surgery has a success rate of over 90%. You can expect the pain you felt before surgery to decrease and the range of motion in the joint to increase, but do not expect to be able to do movements that you could not do before surgery. High-contact activities such as running or basketball may never be approved by the doctor. But over time, you can swim, play golf, walk or bike comfortably.
Complications of Hip Replacement Surgery
Prosthesis surgery is one of the most serious surgeries in orthopedics. There are rules to be followed before and after the surgery, and all possible precautions should be taken to prevent complications during the surgery. If the patient has additional diseases, they are evaluated in detail and whether they pose a risk for the surgery and, if so, their degree are explained to the patient. While patients are given information about their surgery, the risks of the surgery are also explained in detail.
We can list the complications that may occur in prosthetic surgeries as follows:
- Regarding anesthesia. Those,
- Vessel-nerve injuries during the surgery,
- Bone fracture during the placement of the prosthesis,
- Excess blood loss,
- Prosthesis after the surgery Development of infection around the area,
- Thromboembolism (the clot in the leg veins travels to other organs and blocks the veins there), Loosening of the prosthesis in the early postoperative period.
Against these complications in the preoperative and postoperative period. The physician performing the surgery and the anesthesiologist together take the necessary precautions and provide the patient with the necessary preventive medical treatment. Complications are minimized by getting the patient back on his/her feet early in the postoperative period and returning to daily life as soon as possible.
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