Important Things to Remember if you have a Metallic Hip Implant

If you have been implanted with a metallic hip joint implant for a fracture, osteoporosis, or arthritis, perhaps you have already heard about the negative complications related to it, as well as the controversial hip replacement recalls that have been issued out lately. Hip replacements, unlike your natural joints, do not last a lifetime and are prone to wearing away causing complications, orthopedic specialists say. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration have enumerated some useful information for metallic hip replacement recipients. Here are the most important:

Remember to keep your doctor’s appointments as frequently as your doctor has instructed. During your follow-up checkup, you may be assessed for device placement, degree of wound healing, signs of local and systemic infections and other unusual reactions that may suggest presence of complications. The number of times you will be asked to come to the clinic for evaluation will depend on the invasiveness of your procedure and the rate of your recovery.

Report discomforting symptoms such as thigh or leg pain, inflammation on the operated site, numbness on the pelvic area or the lower extremities, difficulty in flexing your new joints, and other problems related to ambulation. You need to relay this information to your physician as soon as it appears, so you will be thoroughly assessed at an earlier time and an early treatment may be considered.

Observe correct hip precautions as your physical therapist or orthopedic surgeon has recommended. This would depend on the type of surgical technique that was utilized during your surgery. With the traditional posterior or lateral approach, your surgeon may recommend you to restrict bending your hips at a 90 degree angle. For the less invasive anterior approach, you may be allowed to use your new joints immediately with lesser mobility restrictions.

You may also have to adjust your lifestyle to speed up your recovery or reduce the possibility of exposing your new joints to trauma. Engaging in weight management programs and practicing regular strengthening exercises that are gentle to the new joints are known to have positive effects on the durability of your artificial hip joints and the health of the tissues and nerves that surround it.

Avoid the risk of hip joint dislocations. These complications are most common in metallic hip implants. Although there have been newer designs (such as those built with larger femoral heads and longer stems) to prevent this, other complications such as metallosis and infections are also observed to have resulted from these new models. With larger femoral heads, the components may easily rub off metallic flakes causing irritation to the tissues nearby. It may cause an inflammation that may eventually trigger the displacement of the device, or it may lead to painful symptoms that require repositioning or removal of the implant. This type of surgery is called revision procedure, and it is often accompanied by the risk of bone fractures and nerve damage.

These complications can be quite frightening, but it may be prevented if managed at an earlier time. Complications may be identified early if you keep a constant communication with your doctor. It may also help if you know about the latest hip implant news and the new updates on the FDA recommendations for patients with metal-on-metal hip implants.

References:

medicalnewstoday.com/articles/247151.php

fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ProductsandMedicalProcedures/ImplantsandProsthetics/MetalonMetalHipImplants/ucm241667.htm

nytimes.com/2012/02/15/business/hip-implant-the-fda-rejected-was-marketed-abroad.html?_r=1


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