Rehabilitation after artificial hip arthroplasty

  Due to the continuous improvement of new materials and prosthesis design and the maturity of surgical techniques, artificial hip joint replacement has achieved good results in treating femoral neck fracture, femoral head necrosis and hip osteoarthritis, and has become a common surgical method in clinical practice. However, some doctors and patients tend to attach great importance to the selection of prosthesis and surgical techniques, but pay less attention to postoperative rehabilitation training, resulting in some patients’ postoperative hip stiffness, walking weakness, and even joint dislocation. In order to improve the treatment effect, postoperative rehabilitation training should be carried out.  Femoral exercise should be performed as early as possible after artificial hip replacement. Most patients cannot move due to hip pain before surgery resulting in atrophy of the quadriceps, gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles, and the joint capsule usually has to be cut and some muscles damaged during surgery, all of which will affect the stability of the hip joint after surgery and affect walking and easily cause dislocation of the prosthesis when squatting, so the purpose of exercise is to restore the hip and quadriceps muscle strength. Usually, 2 to 3 days after surgery, the patient’s wound pain disappears and the contraction of the isometric muscles of the affected limb is given priority. The patient lies on the bed, tenses the thighs and hips, relaxes, and exercises in groups every day, the number of exercises in each group is subject to the patient’s tolerance, and the patient is encouraged to do more exercises.  At the same time, you can practice hip abduction and flexion with the help of nurses and family members, but the degree of hip flexion should gradually increase and not exceed 90 degrees. After one week, the knee can be padded with pillows and the calf can be straightened with repeated force. After the stitches are removed in two weeks, the patient can practice active forceful elevation of the affected limb, abduction of the affected limb in the healthy side of the bed, and forceful posterior extension of the affected limb on the bed. The affected limb (crossed limb) should not be internalized within 6 weeks after surgery, and the affected side should not be lying down, and the low stool sitting position should likewise be avoided. The best time to get out of bed is about 2 weeks, and to post double crutches, and after a month, begin to gradually abandon crutches walking. As for squatting, it should be at least 3 months after the operation.  Hip arthroplasty has been carried out very commonly, however, surgery does not solve all problems, and if post-operative rehabilitation is neglected, it will not only bring inconvenience to the patient’s life, but also accelerate the aging and loosening of the joint, which will affect the effect of surgery.