Parsteiner Blog

Posts Tagged ‘Hip Surgery’

It’s important for people of all ages, especially seniors, to stay active. According to the Centers for Disease Control, being physically active can reduce your risk of dying from heart disease and decreases the risk of colon cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure. Physical activity also helps control weight:; contributes to healthy bones, muscles and joints; relieves the pain of arthritis; reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression; and can decrease the need for hospitalizations, physician visits and medications. Indeed, there’s a lot riding on incorporating exercise into your lifestyle.

There’s no better time than now to start exercising. Be sure to check with your doctor before increasing your physical activity especially if you have a chronic disease or family history of chronic disease, chest pain, shortness of breath, high blood pressure, asthma, diabetes, blood clots, infections or fever, joint swelling, hip surgery or a hernia.

Here are some tips to help you get started!

Don’t just jump into a fitness routine. First, stretch your arms, legs and back. Start off slowly, gradually increasing the pace of your exercise. Don’t do too much too soon or you will hurt yourself. For example, start with 10 minutes of walking before going to 20 and then 30 minutes. For a strength-training program using weights and machines, talk to a fitness instructor on how much weight to lift and how to use the machines properly.

Exercise should make you feel better, not worse. A little soreness, discomfort or fatigue is normal. Listen to your body, if you feel light headed, a shortness of breath, a sudden, severe headache, are sweating excessively, or have pains in the chest, stomach or anywhere else, you should stop exercising. If symptoms persist, contact your doctor.

If you are on medication or have a condition that alters your heart rate, don’t use your pulse as a judge of how fast your heart is or should be beating.

Wear the proper protective equipment for your activity. If you are biking, wear a helmet. If you are inline skating, wear a helmet as well as knee and elbow pads. Protective gear should be of good quality and fit properly. It may be expensive, but it’s an expense that is well worth it.

Watch out for the elements. If it’s hot, exercise in the early morning or early evening when it’s cooler, or stay in the shade and wear light weight clothing. If it’s cold, dress in layers, and be careful of ice and snow.

It’s especially important to stay hydrated when you are engaging in exercise that makes you sweat. Drink before, during and after exercise to prevent dehydration.

In addition to all the other benefits of exercise , the secret to a sharp mind just might lie in your feet as well! Studies show those who took a 30-minute brisk walk three days a week had sharper memories. This is what scientists refer to as “executive functions”. They are the ability to plan, organize and juggle mental tasks. Similar results exist in non-depressed individuals. Some mental decline is associated with normal aging due to reduced blood flow to the brain . Experts believe exercise may work by improving circulation to essential areas.

In a study of more than 13,000, the risk of breaking a hip was nearly 30-percent lower among those who take a brisk walk two to four times a week than in sedentary individuals. Those who went from being moderately or vigorously active to being sedentary doubled their risk.
Talk a walk!

A cool down is just as important as a warm up. Stretch your arms, legs and back to bring your heart rate back to its normal level.

Lift chairs provide a valuable service for many different people every year. Lift chairs, using a motorized lifting unit, are recliner like chairs that rise, so that it is very easy to get to a standing position. They are designed in such a way that most people can stand or sit on their own without any outside assistance. As you get older it becomes harder to stand and sit, so lift chairs are great for the elderly. Lift chairs, however, are not only for the elderly. There are numerous others who can benefit from lift chairs.

Those with muscular diseases can greatly benefit from lift chairs. One common type of muscular disease is Muscular Dystrophy. Muscular Dystrophy is found in approximately 55,000 Americans and affects not only them but their families as well. Muscular Dystrophy is a genetic disease, passed hereditarily, that is characterized by progressive muscle deterioration. There are actually over 100 different diseases that are classified as Muscular Dystrophy. For those that have Muscular Dystrophy it can be very hard if not impossible to sit or stand without assistance. This can also be hard on their families or caregivers. This is why a lift chair can be an essential piece of equipment for those with these diseases.

Another group of people that can benefit from lift chairs are those that are recovering from leg, back, or hip surgery as well as those who are recovering from broken bones. In addition to people who are recovering from these types of having trouble standing and sitting on their own, under certain conditions it may be very important to keep your leg elevated or to keep your back still. Lift chairs, through the use of a motorized back and ottoman, are perfect for these applications. It is possible to keep the back of the chair completely mobile at a certain position. This is because the chair is completely motorized, which means there is none of the traditional strain or energy use that is commonly caused by traditional recliners.

Individuals with arthritis can also benefit from having a lift chair. Arthritis is a condition that involves damage to the joints. It is found in nearly 1 out of 5 Americans and is very painful. It is more common as you get older, but it is found in many young people as well. There are several different types of arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis is a morning stiffness and psoriatic arthritis whose symptoms include swelling of the fingers and toes and results in a reduced range of motion. A lift chair can make it much easier and a good deal less painful to stand and sit because it is done at a very slow and steady pace. The lift chair also leaves the individual in a near standing position that is very good for the back and legs.

Lift chairs make independence possible for people who suffer from many different types of mobility related problems. Lift chairs provide a valuable service to these people and are often doctor recommended. Lift chairs are not only life savers, but they are also extremely comfortable.

After years of a deteriorating hip joint, you are left with
almost constant pain and decreased mobility. Eventually, your personal
and social life suffers. You are no longer able to do all the
things you could once do with ease. If you’ve exhausted all other
attempts to relieve the pain and stiffness, it may be time for you and
your doctor to consider hip replacement surgery. You don’t have to
live with pain for the rest of your life. Hip replacement is a common
surgery with a high success rate.

Depending on your age and the condition of your hip, total hip
replacement surgery (total hip arthroplasty) may offer the best solution
to your problem. Hip replacement hardware (ball and socket prosthesis)
can last up to 20 years. And it can often be replaced if the first prosthesis
wears out (though second surgeries are not always as successful as
the initial hip surgery). If you are fairly young, your doctor may suggest
delaying surgery. If so, medications or lifestyle changes may help control
your symptoms until the time is right for joint replacement. Losing weight
can take a tremendous amount of stress off your hip and knee joints.

Surgical Procedure

Most hip replacement surgeries involve the traditional approach
to the hip joint (lateral/posterior or posterior approach). With the
common lateral approach, an incision (8-12 inches long) is made down
the outside of your hip. The ball at the upper end of your femur
(thigh bone) is cut off and replaced with a ball/metal stem component.
The stem is placed into the marrow cavity of the thigh bone and
the ball portion at the top fits into your new ceramic or plastic
socket that is implanted into your pelvis (the cartilage from
your hip socket is removed or smoothed).

The Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System (BHR) is relatively new
(introduced in 1997). Long term studies are still in progress, but
so far results have been favorable. The BHR method eliminates the
need to cut off the ball at the top of the femur. Instead, the ball
is left intact and merely resurfaced (reshaped) to allow an
anatomically shaped metal sphere to be attached. The socket is
replaced with a metal implant. The procedure is bone-saving and
results in a stronger hip joint than the traditional total hip
replacement. The chance of hip dislocation is greatly reduced. For
younger and active people, this may be the procedure of choice.

Minimally invasive hip replacement surgery involves an anterior
approach to the hip joint. An incision is made along the front of the
hip, which allows a more direct route to the hip joint. The major
hip muscles are not in this area, so there is minimal tissue/muscle
damage during surgery. This usually results in a shorter hospital stay, a
quicker recovery/rehab period, and less pain. The only downside to
this method is there are few surgeons performing the anterior approach
surgery. It requires a special surgery table (which few hospitals have)
and special surgical training.

Total Hip Precautions

After traditional total hip replacement surgery, patients are
required to follow strict precautions that restrict certain
movement/positions of your new hip. This is to prevent your new
hip from dislocating. They are commonly called total hip precautions,
or total hip protocol, and include the following:

Do not cross your legs Do not point your toes inward (no pigeon toes) Do not bend your new hip more than 90 degrees

Your doctor may also restrict the amount of weight you can put on
your new surgery leg while walking. This is called your weight-bearing
status. This should be strictly followed so you do not damage your new
hip while it’s healing.

Surgery Complications

All surgeries carry risk. Hip surgery complications include, but are
not limited to, infection, DVT (deep vein thrombosis- blood clot),
dislocation of your new hip, leg length discrepancy, vascular damage,
nerve damage, just to name a few.

Surgery Recovery

Recovery after hip surgery depends on the amount of cartilage damage, your age,
and your fitness level prior to surgery. Exercise before your surgery and your recovery
will be easier. Approximately 4-6 months after surgery you should be fully healed, but you must
take an active part in your recovery by doing daily exercises and taking daily walks.

$80,000 for hip surgery alone, in the U.S. or $45,000 for hip surgery abroad including travel, food & housing for an interesting trip is a good example of why Americans should consider shopping around for medical procedures abroad. This patient contacted the individual doctors and made sure he was comfortable with his choice before deciding to fly to India for his hip surgery.

When asked why he chose India for hip surgery, he answered, “It’s simple. As a self-employed individual, it’s very expensive to have the kind of medical coverage that people who are in larger corporations can have. The cost to me personally for the kind of procedure I wanted was just out of the scope of my ability, so I looked internationally after watching, interestingly enough, a ’60 minutes’ TV program back in 2005.

As Americans we tend to believe the best medical care is only here in the U.S. The reality is when you go to an American hospital today its likely you’ll find either an Asian or somebody from India taking care of you. So, it’s funny that we would think that foreign doctors would have less ability practicing in Asia than practicing in the U.S. It’s simply not true.

I looked at a number of locations both in Thailand and India. And I found that hospitals in Asia use a certification which American hospitals cannot even achieve which is called an ISO rating.”

ISO is a standard that the Europeans use. Of course they’ve been traveling to India and Asia for many years for medical help and so their hospitals rate high in terms of a low rate of infection, bacteria count, loss of life after the surgery, and are highly rated for the quality of staff training and cleanliness. Actually the hospitals in India and Thailand are more highly rated than the American hospitals on these criteria.

There is also the Joint Commission International (JCI) rating. Today the largest accreditor of health care organizations in the United States, the Joint Commission surveys nearly 20,000 health care programs and providers both in the States and abroad, through a voluntary accreditation process.

According to Rudy Rupak, co-founder of PlanetHospital, the JCI rating is more important than the ISO. “The rating of the hospital is not as important as the quality of the doctor,” said Rupak, “the hospital can’t cure you. The doctor can”.

The patient’s goal was to open up direct communication with the doctors, narrowing the list of qualified surgeons based on a criteria of qualities like ease of communication and ability to relate; those intangibles that make a huge difference in the overall medical experience.

It was strange in both of these instances that my Grandfather, who is about the same age as my father-in-law, and my father-in-law both outlived their wives. Statistically this isn’t usually the case. My father-in-law was doing fairly well living independently until he had a series of falls and couldn’t stay alone any longer. At fist he was hospitalized as he was recuperating from hip surgery and then came the tough part of deciding what to do for him.

We decided to have him go to an assisted living facility in Utah for rehabilitation after surgery. This worked quite well and the family was able to visit him on a regular basis. The only problem we had was that he stopped eating. We couldn’t be sure if it was depression or if the food wasn’t very good. The staff was supportive and kind and in all ways accommodating. We decided to try another senior living center in Utah by where his children all live, and found a facility more to his liking. Again, we were impressed with the compassionate care afforded him. It made it a fun outing for our children to go visit grandpa with the fish tanks, roaming dogs and cats and bird cages.

My grandfather lives in Arizona, so at the same time we were searching for an assisted living center in Arizona to fit his needs. He is less independent than my father-in-law so an assisted living center in Arizona fit the bill better than a senior living center. Often you have to shop around a little and find the one that fits your needs. There are fantastic centers to compassionately care for our parents and grandparents if they need short of long term care, sometimes I think three cooked meals a day and constant activities along with housecleaning services wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.