Hip Resurfacing

It's usually an overnight procedure

hip resurfacing surgery may be performed as an overnight procedure. This means the nursing/physiotherapy staff on the ward will have you out of bed and walking within 4 hours after the surgery. The surgery is approximately 2 hours of operating time. There is approximately 1 hour in the recovery room after surgery.

Hip resurfacing surgery, or retread surgery, requires the removal of the diseased bone only. This means, the bone removed is minimised to 4-5mm from the head of the femur and approx 4-5mm from the acetabulum.

Our physiotherapist is there help

A physiotherapist will greet you prior to surgery, fit you for crutches, educate you on the precautions of hip surgery, and provide an exercise program. After surgery the physio will assess your walking ability prior to discharge from hospital.

Our anaesthetist keeps you informed

The anaesthetic service is provided by Dr Kerr. Dr Kerr will see you prior to surgery to tell you about and discuss your anaesthetic and post-operative pain management.

Incision and Dressing

The incision is approximately 15-20cm in length, and it runs over the outer edge of your hip joint. The scarline may not be completely flat immediately after surgery. This will settle down a few weeks after surgery. The operation itself is performed with the patient on their side. The surgical wound is closed with sutures and the skin staples. The staples need to be removed 10 days after surgery, while the sutures will disolve. The dressing is designed for compression. The compression dressing is similar to a pair of tight fitting pants, which run from your waist down to your knee. This particular dressing stays in place for 48hrs.

Recovery

When you wake up in recovery you will have 2 drains in your hip. One for excess fluid drainage and the other for injecting pain medication into the joint. These drains will be removed before discharge. Post-operative X-ray is performed in recovery.