Hip Replacement Affects Your Overall Health

Hip Replacement Affects Your Overall Health

by

James Allenscs

Hip replacement surgery affects more than your mobility, suggests a significant new study from the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Like knee replacement or a carpal tunnel procedure, the minimally invasive surgery is often recommended to reduce pain and improve range of motion, but it also has a marked impact on overall health for patients with osteoarthritis. People who received joint replacement also experienced significant reductions in heart failure and diabetes rates. They also had a reduced incidence of depression.

The comprehensive study identified more than 43,000 Medicare patients with osteoarthritis and followed some of them for as much as seven years to understand how hip resurfacing and replacement procedures affect total health. For sports medicine specialists and orthopedic surgeons, the study opens a window on the long-term benefits of minimally invasive surgery to replace the hip joint.

Boise Idaho orthopedic surgeon Dr. George Nicola, a specialist in hip replacement, has seen how the procedure affects his patients\’ overall health. After the surgery, recipients of a new hip can walk with less pain and greater ease. When patients can move easily, Dr. Nicola notes, they\’re more capable of getting the exercise they need for the improved heart health, weight maintenance and elevated mood that activity can bring. Osteoarthritis pain causes stress that may exacerbate depression, and patients who feel less pain after recovering from surgery often enjoy an improved quality of life.

In addition to hip replacement, knee replacement can also offer some of the same overall health benefits. Dr. George Nicola also performs the quad-sparing technique that maintains the integrity of the major thigh muscle groups surrounding the knee. The procedure allows a shorter recovery time and a quicker return to mobility. The Caldwell Idaho orthopedic surgeon pioneered the procedure in the greater Boise metropolitan area. Dr. Nicola is one of the sports medicine specialists at West Idaho Orthopedics.

The AAOS study focused on hip replacement surgery and not hip resurfacing, but many of the overall health benefits that replacement patients enjoy, such as increased mobility and less discomfort while walking, also apply to those who undergo joint resurfacing. While the study focused on people with osteoarthritis, fracture care could have similar effects for those recovering from injury. Further studies of knee replacement, knee resurfacing and other forms of knee surgery are currently underway.

If you have diabetes or heart disease, it\’s imperative to speak to your primary care physician as well to coordinate your care with your orthopedic doctor or fracture care specialist. Joint replacement surgery is one important component of overall health whether you live in Boise, Meridian, Caldwell and beyond. So, make an orthopedic surgeon part of your total wellness team.

For more information about hip replacement surgery please

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westidahoorthopedics.com/procedures/fracture-care.aspx

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