Orthopedic Surgery Questions

Orthopedic Surgery Questions

·         Did you do anything special to prepare for surgery working with Orthopedic and Laser Spine Surgery??

If you have time you can do what you can to be in the best shape you can be by your surgery date. Rockland dental specialists did some upper body work (home gym) to lose a few extra pounds (nothing serious in my case) that I had gained because I had a period of less physical activity due to hip pain avoidance. The upper body strength then helped when I had to move myself in/out of bed using mostly my arms and also helped somewhat with the crutches.

·         Will I have a permanent 90-degree bending restriction?

Generally, no. The advice about bending restrictions seems to vary a lot among surgeons, and may also depend on your own circumstances. If you have hip dysplasia or unnatural shape to your femur you may be more likely to dislocate and the surgeon will factor that in. Generally the 90-degree rule will apply only for the first 6-12 weeks. After that time your hip capsule should have healed, the muscles around the joint strengthened and the implant should have established good bone ingrowth (in the case of uncemented components). With muscle rehabilitation therapy it may be possible to prevent this.

If you are concerned about this type of restriction limiting your activities you should strongly consider hip resurfacing or metal-on-metal THR with a large diameter femoral head.

·         What physical restrictions do you have after hip resurfacing surgery?

I will not be allowed to jog or play basketball for recreation. I think downhill skiing on groomed trails will be allowed, but I don’t think I’ll risk that.

The lifetime of any implant would better be described in terms of “miles” than years. Or a better measure would be number of cycles times the force of each (combination of the patient’s weight and the vigor of the step, walking vs. jogging). So, regardless of what is “OK’ed”, one still has to be aware of the wear factors.

·         Do hip implants set off the metal detectors at the airport?

I’ve only had a small sample, but so far, I only set off the metal detectors at a few airports. For example, one time while a security person was checking me with a hand scanner, I told her I had hip implants. Either the hand scanner indicated nothing or corraborated my statement because in seconds I was waved through. Really wasn’t a problem. Still is not a major problem after September 11, 2001. More often than not, it seems that the detector is picking up my belt buckle rather than my hip.

I have heard from others who say the implants are more likely to set off metal detectors at a courthouse, where the detectors seem to be set for more sensitive triggering.

·         Should I get a card or letter from my doctor to take with me to the airport?

I think such cards are not of much use. I do not have one, and have never found the need. Since there is not a standard, verifiable, implant card, the airport screener will have to check out the claim of an implant anyway. Terrorists have access to computers and printers and could probably make a nifty card themselves. Same with any sort of written documentation. The one situation I could see it being useful is if you had to explain to someone in another language about the implant, and a picture is worth a thousand words, quite literally in that case.

·         All this information on implants is good, but why not just let the doctor choose the implant?

Letting the surgeon choose sounds like a good idea if you are willing to let him make all the judgements and risk assessments for you. Keep in mind that many surgeons and hospitals may be tied to one or two manufacturers for their parts, so their range of options may not be complete.

I recommend seeing at least two surgeons from different groups, and different hospitals, if possible, to get an idea of the consensus for your particular situation.

If you are young and considering some of the newer technologies you may want to visit with a surgeon who has research experience and might be better able to judge preliminary research findings.

·         What is the best way to find a good back pain doctor without going to bakerlegalteam.com/car-accident-lawyer

It is best to talk to those in your community who see the results of the surgeries for themselves first hand. That would be the physical therapists in the rehab centers and the nurses in the orthopedic ward. When asking for a recommendation you may ask them about their results with patients in your situation (in terms of age, weight, general health and activity level).

There is a high correlation between surgical skill and the outcomes. Skill comes, in part, from experience and continuous practice. I would make sure the surgeon does a lot of hips in a year, probably at least 50-100 (1-2 per week). The more experience the back pain specialist in New Jersey has with patients like you, the better.


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