Patient/caregiver was instructed upon supports to the hip joint as follows:
- The hip joint is formed by the thigh bone (femur) and the hip bone (pelvis). The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, in which the ball of the joint is formed by the round head of femur. The socket is a hollow on the side of the pelvis called acetabulum. The head of femur sits in the hollow acetabulum forming the hip joint.
- The head of femur is covered by articular cartilage and has a soft, smooth, and rubbery consistency. The hollow of the acetabulum is also lined by the same soft, smooth articular cartilage.
- The smooth and soft articular cartilage lining the acetabulum and covering the head of femur helps with easy sliding of the bones against each other and allows an easy range of motion. Also, the articular cartilage helps as a shock absorber and helps to prevent the bones from rubbing against each other resulting in injury.
- Hip joint replacement is performed in individuals with history of arthritis, such as, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, gouty arthritis, or psoriatic arthritis involving the hip.
- Individuals with arthritis have worn out cartilages due to excessive wear & tear and injury. As the cartilage at the ends of bones is worn out, the bones start rubbing against each other, resulting in friction, chronic inflammation with worsening pain & swelling, and damage to the bones.
- Hip replacement is a surgery involving resurfacing of the ends of the bones forming the hip joint. The surgeon typically takes off the bony head of the femur and the damaged articular cartilage from the hip joint.
- The bone ends are then resurfaced using metal and plastic prosthetics. The acetabular socket is redone with rough metal on the outside and plastic on the inside. A piece of rough metal with a smooth rounded metal head is fixed into the upper end of femur.
- The smooth rounded metal head of femur is made to sit into the inner plastic surface of acetabulum. Now, the metallic femoral head rubs smoothly on the plastic fixed on the acetabulum of pelvis.
- Once the joint is aligned and the metal & plastic prosthetics are fixed, they are held in place using a substance called bone cement. Bone cement helps adherence of prosthetic to the natural bone in the human body.
- The rough metal in the acetabular socket and the upper end of femur will be in contact with the natural bone and helps the natural bone grow over them in due course of time. This helps to stabilize the joint further.
