Hip joint dysfunction impairs the quality of life significantly. Only hip replacement surgery can relieve joint pain and restore lost mobility. Due to the improvement of the quality of international medical services in Turkey, there is a huge choice of hip replacement clinics at the moment.
Thanks to the rapid development of medical tourism in Turkey, you can not only relax in this country but also successfully undergo surgery with hip replacement. It is worth noting that the hip replacement cost in Turkey is much lower than in most European countries.
Hip replacement and its types
Hip replacement is a high-tech treatment method in which a damaged joint is replaced with a prosthesis made of modern materials. The endoprosthesis completely repeats the shape and structure of the normal joint and performs all the functions assigned to it. Joint replacement surgery is an extremely effective method of restoring lost functions in severe joint diseases or their traumatic injuries. Thanks to the development of healthcare all over the world, such operations have become quite common in our time. About 400 thousand joint replacement surgeries are performed in the world annually.
There are two types of replacement surgeries – the partial and the complete ones.
- With a partial replacement of the hip joint, the femoral head is removed and a metal leg is inserted in its place. A ball is mounted on the top of the leg. A device called a “bipolar cup” is put on the ball of the newly installed femoral joint and rotates in the patient’s own acetabulum.
- With a total hip replacement, not only the femoral head is replaced, but also the acetabulum, in place of which a metal prosthesis is installed. Total hip replacement is most often the only possible treatment for severe hip damage.
The need for this or that type of prosthetics is determined by specialists and depends on the joint disease, its stage and the general condition of the patient. To do this, a thorough examination is carried out and medical contraindications are revealed, if any are present.
Preparation for surgery
Before performing the operation, a doctor must make sure that the patient has no serious health problems and that there are no contraindications. For this, the patient must undergo a medical examination. Also, in the preoperative period, special instrumental studies are performed:
- Complete blood count.
- Basic metabolic panel.
- X-ray examination of the chest.
- Ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity.
- X-ray examination of the hip joints.
After assessing the general condition of the patient and the results of the examinations, a doctor selects the type of replacement, and the date of the operation is assigned.
Indications and contraindications
The main symptom that brings discomfort to patients with diseases of the hip joints is pain. For a long time, the pain can be alleviated with the help of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. But this is not a cure, and the disease is progressing constantly. The main treatment method that avoids disabling the patient is endoprosthetics of the affected joint. The main indications for the surgical method of treatment are:
- Severe pain which affects the quality of life.
- Formation of false joints.
- Autoimmune joint damage.
- Injuries and bruises of the hip joint.
- Congenital malformations of the hip joint.
- Aseptic necrosis of the femoral head.
- Ankylosing spondylitis.
Endoprosthetics are not recommended if the patient has one or more contraindications that increase health risks during or after the surgery:
- Severe pathologies of the heart and blood vessels.
- Acute and chronic infectious processes.
- Inflammation in the area of the operated joint.
- Type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- Mental disorders.
- Morbid obesity.
Recovering time
Since the joint replacement is a type of general surgery, after operations of this type it is necessary to limit physical activity and adhere to the rules of the postoperative period. Recovery after the surgery takes 4-8 weeks. The patient can move actively in bed right after the operation. On the second day, it is allowed to sit down, on the third – to stand up, on the fourth or fifth – to walk. Further, the patient starts doing gymnastics and walking with limited activity.
Rehabilitation requires close supervision of a rehabilitologist. In the first few days after the surgery, the patient needs special care. In each clinic, an individual program of physiotherapy is selected for the patient, and measures are taken to reduce the risk of postoperative complications.
Finding a place for surgery
Finding a clinic to replace a hip joint abroad is not difficult. Booking Health has long been working in the sphere of medical tourism. With the help of the professionals from the company, you can easily find a clinic for hip replacement in Turkey at competitive prices. On the company’s website, you can find comprehensive information about famous surgeons, successful hospitals and hip replacement costs in Turkey.