Treatment Hip Osteoarthritis (coxarthrosis) by Hip Replacement and Rehabilitation in Turkey

Osteoarthritis is a gradual joint destruction, cartilage degeneration and bone tissue lesion. The disease develops gradually, progresses slowly, but steadily. As a result, it leads to complete joint destruction, its immobility and chronic pains. Such cases require joint replacement surgery.

What is coxarthrosis?

Coxarthrosis is the most common type of osteoarthritis. It affects the hip joint. This disease accounts for 40% of all cases of osteoarthritis.

The hip joint plays a primary role in maintaining posture, person's body weight, as well as it under a heavy load when running or jumping. It must have a large scope of movements and a high level of stability. It is provided by deep penetration of the femoral head into the acetabulum, strong muscles and a strong fibrous capsule.

Sometimes osteoarthritis has certain causes, which can be determined:

• deformation of the femoral head due to chondropathy;
• ileal protrusion (usually congenital);
• hip injury;
• femoral head osteonecrosis;
• rheumatoid arthritis;
• intense sports loads.

In most cases, the causes of hip joint lesion cannot be determined. Such osteoarthritis is called idiopathic or primary. It often develops after the age of 40, with overweight.

The upper pole of the joint is usually affected with the displacement of the femoral head up and out. It is the most vulnerable, as it can withstand a person's body weight. The medial (inner) pole of the joint is less frequently affected. In this case, the femoral head is shifted inward and protrusion of the acetabulum occurs. The rarest type of osteoarthritis is the lesion of the entire hip joint.

Who requires joint replacement surgery?

Hip replacement surgery in the case of osteoarthritis can be required in the following cases:

• severe persistent pain, which does not stop for several months;
• sharp restriction of physical activity due to impaired joint function, leg shortening;
• severe osteoarthritis of 3-4 degree.

The surgery is usually performed in elderly patients. The average age of the operated patients is 70 years. Until 50 years old, the doctors try not to carry out such surgical intervention, and perform it only in the most extreme cases. It is very important to implant the highest quality endoprosthesis in order to prevent wear. Modern prostheses can serve the patient for decades. In young patients, the implantation of polyethylene components is not recommended. If possible, the doctors use cementless fixation, as it is more reliable.

Osteoarthritis usually does not occur in patients younger than 35 years old, but sometimes such cases are possible, namely, these can be a post-traumatic pathology or the result of hip dysplasia. The patients of this age category are implanted the reliable prostheses, but in the future it is highly likely that the second operation will be required. When performing revision joint replacement surgery, the artificial joint is replaced by another one. These operations are more complex. They must be performed by experienced surgeons. Many experienced specialists who operate young patients and successfully perform revision hip replacement surgery work in Turkey.

The essence of joint replacement surgery

The hip joint consists of two components, namely the femoral head and the acetabulum. The doctor can replace one of them or both at once. If only one component (the femoral head) is replaced, then such replacement is called subtotal. Sometimes total hip replacement can be performed. Such an operation can be required in the case of injury of both the thigh and acetabulum.

As for the method of fixation, joint replacement surgery can be:

• cement – the component of the thigh is attached using special cement (it used in patients with osteoporosis);
• cementless – the component of the thigh is not glued but fixed mechanically, and then it gradually grows into the bone due to osseointegration.

In the case of total replacement surgery, various components of the prosthesis can be made of different materials. There can be used different friction pairs, since they all have advantages and disadvantages. The following pairs are the most commonly used:

• metal-on-polyethylene;
• ceramic-on-polyethylene;
• ceramic-on-ceramic.

The average duration of the operation is 1 hour. This is followed by the administration of antibiotics to prevent infectious complications. Anticoagulants are used to prevent thrombotic complications. The complete recovery takes several months. The maximum load on the operated limb is possible after 1 month in the case of cement fixation of the thigh, and after 2 months in the case of durable cementless fixation.

Joint replacement surgery in Turkey

Turkey is a country with rapidly developing medical tourism. The country has more and more top-class hospitals. They employ talented and experienced orthopedic surgeons who have been trained in the best medical centers in Germany, France, the USA, and Israel. The hospitals in Turkey receive good funding, and therefore they have at their disposal high quality equipment.

The cost of hip replacement surgery in Turkey is lower than in most economically developed countries. At the same time, the quality of medical services reaches an equally high level.

You can go to one of the hospitals in Istanbul or another big city in Turkey, as they have well-equipped medical facilities. Many of them specialize in orthopedic surgery. The hip replacement surgery is one of the most demanded services in this field among foreign patients.

The hip replacement surgery in Turkey has the following key benefits:

• experienced surgeons who perform dozens of such surgical procedures annually;
• application of high-quality endoprostheses with service life for decades (with a high probability the patient will not need the second joint replacement surgery in the future);
• individual selection of the best configuration of an artificial joint for replacement (sizes are selected with perfect accuracy, the best friction pair is selected);
• minimally invasive access to the hip joint: front, MIS 2, Rottinger approach (to reduce soft tissue injury);
• ability to perform even the most complex operations, including repeated (revision) joint replacement surgery;
• well-adjusted postoperative patient management regimen minimizes the risk of complications;
• some hospitals in Turkey use a system of accelerated patient rehabilitation after hip joint replacement surgery.

How to go to Turkey?

To undergo the joint replacement surgery in one of the Turkish hospitals, you can use the services of the Booking Health company. We will fully organize your trip and will support you during the entire period of stay in this country. The cooperation with the Booking Health company has the following benefits:

• Selection of the hospital, which specializes in joint replacement surgery and achieves the best results.
• Reduced costs of medical services.
• Reduced waiting time for the beginning of treatment, selection of the most suitable dates for you.
• Preparation of the medical program and its monitoring.
• Control of finances and return of unspent funds upon the program completion.
• Possibility to organize additional treatment in Turkish hospitals, as well as diagnostics or rehabilitation.

The Booking Health company provides top-class services: booking airline tickets, hotels, transfer from the airport to the hospital and back.