Hip Replacement Surgery- Post-OP Guide

by Murshid Paravath Manager

Hip replacement surgery is actually a complicated surgery & that’s why you should follow every instruction given by your surgeon. It is a concern of many patients that how they will be able to handle the post-surgery pain. Dr. Vinay Verma who is one of the best physiotherapists providing service in Narela, Delhi says that along with post-surgery care you can opt for physiotherapy for pain management & post-surgery stress management. Meditation along with medication will help you to recover faster.

So in this article, Dr. Sandeep who is one of the best orthopedic doctor in Bhubaneswar will discuss everything that will take place after a successful surgery.

Post-Surgery Care

After your surgery, you will be taken to the post-anesthesia care unit is also known as PACU where staff will monitor you. As you begin your recovery from surgery they will monitor your vital signs and pain level. Family and friends are not allowed in the PACU. Once you are stable usually in one to two hours you will be transferred to the inpatient orthopedic unit. Family and friends are able to visit you once you are settled in your room. Your nurse will continue to monitor you after your arrival on the orthopedic inpatient unit. This will include a neurological assessment of strength and sensation check, pain assessment, and a systems assessment to monitor urine output and bladder emptying. They will use a bladder scan machine that works like an ultrasound machine to measure the amount of urine in your bladder.

You may see several pieces of equipment after surgery and you may have several drains in place. The tubes and drains you may see include a face mask or tube under your nose to give you oxygen, a drain in your wound, a catheter to drain urine from your bladder, and intravenous or IV pumps for fluids. To prevent blood clots you may wear Ted hose or elastic stockings, SCDs or sequential compression devices which are like wraps that inflate and deflate on your legs or your doctor may decide to use foot pumps instead of the SCDs which inflate and deflate on your feet.

Post-Surgery Diet

It is important to advance your diet slowly after surgery. This allows for your bowels to wake up and prevent nausea. You may start on a clear liquid diet depending on the doctor's orders and the nurse’s assessment. Your nurse will monitor your readiness for advancing you to solid foods. You will be taking several medications during your hospital stay. You will be given a stool softener to prevent constipation and promote bowel movements. To help prevent blood clots a blood-thinning medication may be given in the form of a pill or injection. A course of antibiotics will be administered by an IV. Pain relievers usually Tylenol in addition to narcotics may be given. There are other medications your doctor may prescribe based on your medical conditions.

Pain Management

One of the biggest concerns after surgery is how pain will be managed. Although everyone's pain tolerance varies you should expect some degree of pain after surgery. There are several options your doctor may choose for pain management. He may order a combination of oral pain medication, intravenous pain medication, or an epidural. An epidural is a catheter inserted into your epidural space in your back to provide pain relief. Usually, the epidural catheter is removed the day after surgery. The goal is to manage your pain with pills because they provide longer-acting coverage than other medications provide. Some patients find relief from methods other than medication. These include ice therapy, deep breathing exercises, distraction, and repositioning. Your nurse may use a combination of these techniques.

You are a very important part of your pain management plan and will need to talk with the nursing staff about setting realistic goals. They will work closely with you to find what works best for you. A good pain management plan will allow you adequate pain control to work with physical therapy and progress your activity level. Good pain control should also allow you to rest comfortably without becoming too sleepy. Everyone responds differently to pain medications and it often takes a period of time to find what works best for each individual patient. There are potential complications you may be at risk for after surgery. These include pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or blood clot, hip dislocation, infection, and constipation.

Patients with hip replacements should follow these rules-

Do not cross the hip replacement leg across the other leg.
Do not bend the artificial hip more than 90 degrees.
Your knee should stay below your belt and do not let your hip turn inward or pigeon-toed.

Some signs and symptoms of infection include-

A persistent fever of 100.5 degrees Fahrenheit or 38.1 degrees Celsius for 24 hours.
An increase in swelling and an increase in redness around the incision.
An increase in drainage from the incision

If you experience any of these symptoms after discharge you should contact your doctor’s office. A mild fever is common following joint replacement surgery and does not always indicate infection. The fever should slowly decrease with time with the combination of surgery narcotic pain medication.