TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT IN MISSISSAUGA, ETOBICOKE, OAKVILLE & BURLINGTON

At PhysioNow, we understand how frustrating hip pain can be. Whether you’re just starting to explore hip pain treatment or you’ve already been scheduled for a total hip replacement (THR), our team is here to guide you.

NORMAL ANATOMY OF THE HIP AND OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) STAGES

The hip joint is one of the largest and most important joints in your body. It’s a ball-and-socket joint, where the head of your thigh bone (femur) fits into a rounded bowl shape in your pelvis. This structure allows for lots of mobility at the hip, allowing us to move our legs in all directions. We can move our hips forward, backward, side to side, rotate them, and all kinds of combinations of these movements. This comes into play when we walk, climb stairs, lunge, twist and more. For support, the joint is cushioned by cartilage and surrounded by muscles and ligaments that provide strength and stability.

So what happens in osteoarthritis?

Hip osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative condition where the protective cartilage in your hip slowly breaks down. It doesn’t happen overnight, it develops in stages and over a longer period of time. It is worth nothing that some degeneration is natural and normal as we age, and does not always lead to OA. Because of this, OA is usually broken down into 3 stages:

Mild OA: The cartilage begins to thin and break down. You may feel occasional stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting for a while. Functionally, you can still perform most activities with minimal pain.
Moderate OA: At this stage, more cartilage has been worn away. Consequently, this leads to more pain with daily activities and increased worsening of swelling and stiffness. Range of motion at the hip also start to worsen, especially rotation inwards, flexion, and abduction (leg going out the side away from your body)
Severe OA: In advanced OA, the cartilage may be so deteriorated that bones rub directly against each other. Pain becomes more constant, movement becomes quite limited, and normal daily activities are severely affected or even impossible

When OA reaches this point and daily life is significantly affected, a total hip replacement is often recommended.

PRE-SURGICAL TREATMENT FOR HIP PAIN AND HIP OA

Pre-surgery treatment for hip pain

You don’t have to wait until you need surgery to start getting support! In fact, physiotherapy treatment before your hip replacement may help delay the surgery, and makes post-surgical recovery much smoother! The stronger your hip was before the surgery, the easier it will be to regain your function.

Physiotherapy will help you manage your pain, maintain and optimize your strength and mobility, educate and prepare you for your journey, help you find strategies to preserve your function. Treatment techniques will include strengthening and flexibility exercises with a home exercise program, manual therapies, and pain-relief strategies like electrotherapy. Your physiotherapist can also help prescribe you a suitable gait aid such as a cane or walker. This will help preserve the joint by decreasing the load it endures, reduce fall risks, and decrease your experienced fatigue throughout the day.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF I NEED A HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY?

Physiotherapist assessing leg strength

Don’t worry, this is not a decision that you will be making alone. You will need a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, who will do a consultation to determine next steps. Some people may choose to delay the hip replacement surgery for as long as possible, while others have lost so much of their quality of life that they want to proceed immediately. Usually, if you aren’t already doing physiotherapy treatment, your surgeon will recommend starting immediately. As the wait times for surgery can be long, physiotherapy will help you manage your pain and help you prepare for your total hip replacement

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF HIP REPLACEMENT SURGERY?

The surgery will replace the damaged joint surfaces with an artificial one, restoring the smooth movement between the 2 bones. Ultimately, the goal is to stop the pain and restore your movement, strength, and quality of life.

PHYSIOTHERAPY AFTER THE SURGERY

Post-surgery treatment

It is important to start physiotherapy immediately after the surgery. Your surgeon will let you know any limitations that you have with weight-bearing as well as hip precautions. Most individuals after surgery are weight bearing as tolerated (WBAT). This means that you can put on as much weight as you can manage. Hip precautions are to protect the hip and restrict movement past a certain amount for 6-12 weeks, depending on the surgical technique that was used. Early movement after the surgery results in better recovery and reduces the risk of post-op complications. The hospital will have a physiotherapist start exercises and begin a plan immediately. Pain is usually the limiting factor after the surgery, so try to time your pain medications before your physiotherapy sessions and exercises.

Once you are discharged, you will continue your physiotherapy at an outpatient clinic. They will oversee your exercises and progress you appropriately as you continue to improve. The early stages will focus on pain management, taking care of your incision, restoring movement to your hip, and early strengthening. Eventually, you will be ready to work on more difficult movements in standing, adding weights to exercises, practicing normal walking patterns, stairs, and how to get you back to your hobbies. It is crucial that you begin this process immediately with a trained physiotherapist if you want your hip to reach its full potential. Contact our experienced team at PhysioNow to assess your hip pain and provide a tailored treatment plan at any of our physiotherapy clinics in Mississauga, Etobicoke, Oakville or Burlington.

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT TOTAL HIP REPLACEMENT

When is the right time to undergo a total hip replacement?

The right time for a hip replacement is usually when

Hip pain is severe and persistent, even at rest
Daily activities like walking, climbing stairs, or getting dressed are becoming very difficult
Non-surgical treatments like medication, injections, or physiotherapy are no longer giving you relief
X-rays or MRIs show advanced joint damage or arthritis
Your overall quality of life is worsening

Your orthopedic surgeon will advise you based on your symptoms, activity level, and imaging results to help decide if surgery is the best option