Hip op patients assured surgery is ‘life-changing.’
With more and more people in their fifties – and younger – facing a hip replacement, a Birmingham Orthopaedic Surgeon is reassuring anyone who has concerns about how long it will last that, thanks to advances in implant technology and surgical techniques, they can look forward to a better quality of life for many years to come.
It is a commonly held belief that people are in their 60s or 70s when they undergo a hip replacement, so anyone else is just too young to need this kind of surgery. However, during the past three years, Trevor Lawrence BSc (Hons) MBChB FRCS (Orth) – a consultant with the Heart of England Foundation Trust in Birmingham, Solihull’s Spire Parkway Hospital and one of the UK’s leading specialists in this field – has seen a threefold increase in patients under the age of 50.
This upswing is partly due to a move away from resurfacing surgery, resulting in major complications. Still, Mr Lawrence believes that a rise in osteoarthritis is a key factor, along with the fact that people who lead active lives are determined to maintain their fitness. Indeed, M G, 56, who lives in Hollywood, plays football, badminton and golf again after a second hip replacement operation. He says:
Young, active people, want the tried and tested implants that are going to give them relief from pain and a quality of life. This means they can continue to do the activities they enjoy, so I am happy to reassure them that the surgery I perform has a track record spanning 40 years and demonstrates the best outcomes, as evidenced by the National Joint Registry.
With more and more people in their fifties – and younger – facing a hip replacement, a Birmingham Orthopaedic Surgeon is reassuring anyone who has concerns about how long it will last that, thanks to advances in implant technology and surgical techniques, they can look forward to a better quality of life for many years to come. After about eight months, and once I’d regained my strength, nothing seemed impossible.
“Having my other hip replaced was much easier because I knew what to expect and was confident that, thanks to Mr Lawrence, I’d be able to walk easily, get back to my normal routine and, most importantly, take up the sport again. So I would say to anyone facing this kind of surgery to go ahead because the difference it makes is life-changing.”
For Knowle, mum of two SW, finding out, at the age of 37, that she would need to have both hips replaced because of osteoarthritis came as a real shock. However, she returned to work just four weeks after her surgery, was back in the gym within three months and now doesn’t think twice about going horse-riding, skiing, swimming and running.
“My problems started when I began to experience a catching sensation, and then my leg would just give way,” explains S. “At first, I thought it was just one of those things, but it got steadily worse over the years until I couldn’t walk properly. I won’t deny it; I was worried about the scar, but Mr Lawrence did a great job, and now it just doesn’t bother me.”
T M from Solihull was 48 when hip problems impacted her mobility. As a result, she was forced to give up her job in event management. However, once she had received an exact diagnosis and Mr Lawrence had given her a new hip, T was quick to resume her active lifestyle.
“Friends can’t remember that I used to walk with a stick, and people who expect me to limp are amazed that my mobility is so good,” she says. During my recovery, I did all the physio by the book and then, because I could get back to aerobics and combat training, I lost weight and regained my fitness. My hip replacement proved to be a major turning point because since then, I’ve been on a beach holiday and go walking in the Lake District, which I love.”
Mr Lawrence advises that pain and lack of mobility determine the right time for surgery and says there is well-documented evidence that if it is performed well, upwards of 90 per cent of patients will have a well-functioning hip for 40 years more. Furthermore, once muscle strength has been built up, he sees no reason why patients who have enjoyed an active lifestyle, including playing the sport, shouldn’t get back to doing what they enjoy.
Surgery certainly changed everything for M G, who had his first hip replacement aged 49. He says: “Before the operation, I was struggling to sleep and finding it difficult to put my shoes on, let alone tie the laces. Afterwards, the nagging ache I’d lived with for so long had gone, I tentatively started to play indoor football again after about eight months, and once I’d regained my strength, nothing seemed impossible.
“Friends can’t remember that I used to walk with a stick, and people who expect me to limp are amazed that my mobility is so good.”
“During my recovery, I did all the physio by the book and then, because I was able to get back to aerobics and combat training, I lost weight and regained my fitness. My hip replacement proved to be a major turning point because since then, I’ve been on a beach holiday and go walking in the Lake District, which I love.”
Mr Lawrence advises that pain and lack of mobility determine the right time for surgery and says there is well-documented evidence that if it is performed well, upwards of 90 per cent of patients will have a well-functioning hip for 40 years more. Furthermore, once muscle strength has been built up, he sees no reason why patients who have enjoyed an active lifestyle, including playing sports, shouldn’t get back to doing what they enjoy.
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