Dealing with severe hip osteoarthritis ... New and less painful ways to treat degenerative hip conditions
… New and less painful ways to treat degenerative hip conditions
Published:Wednesday | September 11, 2019 | 12:00 AM
Having to deal with a degenerative hip condition is very painful and can significantly lower your function and quality of life. Exercising, playing a sport or even playing with your grandchildren becomes difficult, and simple things just like tying your own shoelaces may seem like a daily battle.
As technology evolves with medicine, new treatments and techniques have been developed to offer more reliable and less painful ways to give a definitive solution to this common health problem.
Hip osteoarthritis causes a loss of the cartilage responsible for ‘cushioning’ the joints, resulting in progressive pain and stiffness. Severe hip osteoarthritis is a common joint disorder for middle-aged patients and older, especially those who have previously been very active in high-impact activities or occupations.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in the United States, 10 per cent of men past 60 years old and 13 per cent of women past 60 years old live with significant hip discomfort from osteoarthritis.
In the past, a total hip replacement was associated with a prolonged hospital stay and a slow, painful postoperative recovery. Today, thanks to the evolving technology and surgical techniques, total hip replacement has become one of the most successful surgeries in orthopedic surgery in terms of restoration of quality of life and rapid recovery.
TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT
Daniel Chan, an orthopaedic trauma and hip/knee replacement specialist from Memorial Healthcare System Hospital in South Florida, specialises in the anterior approach for total hip replacement, which is a muscle-sparing, minimally invasive method to treat severe hip osteoarthritis and other similar degenerative hip conditions. Coupled with advanced technology, including computer navigation used during surgery, patients are able to achieve an accurate reconstruction of their anatomy and leg lengths.
In addition, patients are able to recover much more quickly, without the need for any post-surgical restrictions. Many patients are able to be discharged home the same day of surgery after walking within hours of surgery.
“Patients undergoing anterior hip replacement are almost universally extremely satisfied with their clinical results and the speed with which they regained their quality of life”, Chan stated.
Memorial Healthcare System utilises the latest technologies to facilitate anterior hip replacement surgery, and the expertise of its specialists was recently recognised by a major Florida insurance carrier with a ‘Centre of Distinction’ designation based on superior patient outcomes as well as cost-effectiveness.