At Spire Clare Park Hospital in Farnham, Surrey, we have several orthopaedic surgeons who carry out revision hip replacement routinely. They work within our laminar flow theatres to reduce the risk of infection. With the support of our physiotherapists, you will be up and about and ready to go home within a matter of days. Ask your GP for a referral to the orthopaedic team Spire Clare Park Hospital. Alternatively, contact the Customer Services Team for more information.
About revision hip replacement surgery?
Hip replacements can wear out or loosen and some may eventually need revising. Infection around the hip, often caused by innocuous bacteria that do not form an abscess or illness, can gradually make the hip loosen and begin to cause pain in the joint. The hip can sometimes also become loosened through the wearing down of the bearing surfaces within the hip. Typically patients will feel pain in the groin or thigh, which starts gradually and is often worse on first standing up. If x-rays confirm that the hip is loose or worn, it will need revising.
About the revision hip replacement operation?
A revision operation is usually more complex than a first time hip replacement. The old components need to be removed and new, usually larger, ones will be put in their place. Sometimes the bone has been worn away and will need replacing with artificial or grafted bone, obtained from a registered bone bank. Bone graft is perfectly safe from infection risk and encourages what is left of the original bone to re-grow. The type of replacement used will vary and special components will sometimes be needed. Generally, we try to avoid using bone cement with revisions.
The recovery period is likely to be longer than the first replacement, mainly because the muscles take longer to heal as they have been repaired for a second time. You will need to use crutches for longer and it may take up to a year for optimal recovery to be achieved. There is a higher risk of dislocation, fracture, thrombosis and infection following revision surgery, but the overall results is still good with at least 70% of second hips lasting at least 10 years.