When a patient reports significant post operative Hip pain, revision surgery could be required. This means that part or all of your previous hip replacement needs to be revised.
This operation varies from very minor adjustments to more detailed operations hence it is difficult to describe in full.
Usually the cause is clear but not always.
Hips without an obvious cause for pain in general do not do as well after surgery.
Common causes for Hip Revision Surgery are
- Wear
- this can be caused by the plastic (polyethylene) wearing and is one of the easier revisions where only the plastic insert is changed (Dual Mobility)
- Dislocation
- this can cause instability and means the hip is popping out of place.
- Loosening
- this can be caused by either the femoral or acetabular component. This usually presents as pain but may be asymptomatic.
For this reason, you must have your joint followed up for life as there can be changes on X-ray that indicate that the hip should be revised despite having no symptoms.
- Infection
- usually presents as pain but may present as an acute fever or a general feeling of unwellness.
- Bone Loss
- Osteolysis can occur due to particles being released into the hip joint that result in bone being destroyed
- Hardware Pain
- This can be caused by cables or wires causing irritation.Usually the cause is clear but not always.