What happens when someone gets an infection in a hip replacement?
An update on the treatment of post-operative infection following hip replacement was recently published that may have some useful information. There are some new developments and advances in this area. One question being investigated is: since there are so many different ways to approach the problem: which treatment gives the best results?Treatment for this problem is usually surgery including one (or more) of the following procedures: 1) irrigation and debridement, 2) one-stage exchange, 3) two...
Will short-term implant surgery let me continue playing tennis and golf?
I am a 72-year old avid tennis player and golfer but the pain in my right hip is really affecting my score in both games. I saw a surgeon who suggested trying a modified hip replacement using what he called a short-stem implant. But he didn't answer my question whether or not this type of hip replacement would get me back into action. What can you tell me? Of course there's no guarantee after any surgery that everything will go exceedingly well. Surgeons are usually conservative in their recomme...
Can I train for a half-marathon after having a hip replacement?
Can I train for a half-marathon after having a hip replacement? I should qualify that by saying the type of hip implant they are recommending is a short-stem. This is supposed to make it possible for me to be more active -- but how active is that, exactly? More than ever before, adults are seeking and receiving hip replacements at a younger age and with the intent of remaining active in recreational and sports activities. The results of a recent study from the University of Munich in Germany ma...
Is walking immediately after surgery for hip fracture beneficial?
Help, please! Dad is in the hospital for a hip fracture. They've pinned it and started him on Physical Therapy. The doctor and therapist insist he has to get up and walk on that leg. Dad says he needs a couple of days to rest and recouperate before getting up. What can we tell him to convince him to go along with this approach? Immediate weight-bearing after surgery for hip fracture has been proven safe and effective in several studies. But as a general protocol, the medical practice of getting ...
Why do hips break when older adults fall?
My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and my own mother have all fallen and broken their hips. Of course, we never really knew if the hip broke and they fell or they fell and the hip broke. In any case, I got to wondering why is it always the hip that breaks? Why don't older adults who fall break a leg or an ankle instead? It's a good question and one that may not have a single best answer. First, it should be noted that osteoporosis (brittle bones from loss of bone density) is a common problem in th...