Health Tips

Partial Hip Replacement vs Total Hip Replacement

Patients are facing any problem or pain in hip movement or lower back movement, if yes, then it can be happening because of any fracture in your hip bone or weak hip bones. This problem mostly happens to elderly patients, and the best part is that it can be solved through partial hip replacement vs total hip replacement surgery. It totally depends on the complexity of the case you are facing, whether you need a partial hip replacement surgery or a total hip replacement surgery. So this the best blog for you where you can know about risks involved, benefits, limitations, cost, and recovery time needed for this surgery. Get information on dislocated hip treatment.

Overview of Partial Hip Replacement

A partial hip replacement is a surgical procedure where the orthopedic surgeon replaces only the femoral head of the hip with a prosthetic implant without touching the hip socket (Cotyloid cavity). This surgery is mostly performed on older patients because they are facing repeated problems. Fractures, pain, and difficulty in movement. In partial hip replacement surgery, only the fractures in the femoral head are addressed, while the hip sockets remain untouched, which means they are still healthy.

Benefits of Partial Hip Replacement

  • Shorter Surgery Time: Partial hip replacement requires less time in surgery because only the femoral head is replaced in that surgery.
  • Faster Recovery: The recovery time for partial hip replacement is shorter because only one part of the hip joint is affected by the surgery.
  • Preserves Bone Health: This surgery helps in preserving bone health by not damaging multiple bone tissue at a time.
  • Suitable for Older Patients: This surgical method is good for older patients because of faster recovery, less surgery time, and less discomfort than total hip replacement surgery.
  • Blood Loss: In this surgery, the loss of blood is very minimal, which makes this surgery best for hip replacement.
  • Less Discomfort in Surgery: The patient feels less discomfort while undergoing this surgery.

Limitations of Partial Hip Replacement

  • Risk of Complications: In every surgery, there is a risk of complications, including those that partial hip replacement carries a risk including complications such as blood clotting, poor wound healing, changes in leg length, and dislocation.
  • Functional Limitations: There are some functional limitations that come with this surgery, such as restrictions on hip movement and weight-bearing activities.
  • Pain: Every surgery results in some pain in the surgical area, which makes patients uncomfortable in the recovery process.
  • Durability: The durability of partial hip replacement is less than total hip replacement.
  • Risk of Revisional Surgery: Partial hip replacement may need revisional surgery in the future because there is a chance of failure in the prosthetic implant.

Overview of Total Hip Replacement

Total hip replacement is a surgical procedure where fractured, damaged bones and articular cartilage in the hip joint are replaced with prosthetic implant. This surgery involves changing both the femoral head and hip socket with the prosthetic implant. This surgery takes more time in recovery, but this does not involve any revisional surgery in future. It’s a permanent option that can be performed on everyone, including elderly patients.

Benefits of Total Hip Replacement

  • Reduce Hip Pain: A total hip replacement helps in significantly reducing hip pain to some extent.
  • Range of Motion: This surgery helps patients achieve their original range of motion.
  • Ability to Walk or Run: After this surgery, a patient can perform their athleticism on the ground.
  • Improve Quality of Life: Patients who are facing problems before surgery are enjoying their life after total hip replacement surgery.
  • High Success Rate: The success rate of this surgery is very high if compared to partial hip replacement surgery, which is a good achievement in the field of total hip replacement.

Limitations of Total Hip Replacement

  • Movement Restrictions: This surgery creates some movement restrictions, such as hip flexing, leg crossing, sleeping, and twisting.
  • Dislocation: This is not common but can occur at the start of the post-surgery.
  • Implant Wear and Loosening: There is a problem in the long term that the implant, after long-term use, starts wearing and loosening from its actual position, which results in pain.
  • Activity Limitations: This surgery can limit activities such as running, jumping, and contact sports at the starting phase of the recovery period.
  • Other Potential Issues: The other potential issues can be hip pain, blood clotting, and fractures.

Key Difference between Partial Hip Replacement and Total Hip Replacement

Here are some differences between partial hip replacement vs total hip replacement:


Partial Hip Replacement

Total Hip Replacement 
It focuses on replacing a single femoral head with a prosthetic implant.It focuses on replacing both femoral head and hip sockets with artificial ones.
This surgery is mainly done for fractures.This surgery is done for joint damage.
Mostly recommended by elderly patients.Mostly recommended by young patients.
It is less costly than total hip replacement surgery.It is more costly than partial hip replacement.
The chances of revisional surgery are high.The chances of revisional surgery are lower.
The surgery and recovery time is less.The surgery and recovery time are longer.

Factors to Consider Before Going to Hip Replacement Surgery

It is very important to consider all factors before undergoing partial hip replacement and total hip replacement surgery. Patients can go to an expert orthopedic doctor and get an overview of the surgery process. Major factors to consider:

Pain Management

    • Hip Pain: Discuss with your doctor about the level of pain you are facing.
    • Impact of Pain on Daily Activities: Also, discuss the impact of your pain on daily routine activities.
    • Impact of Pain on Sleep Cycle: Share the level of pain you are facing while sleeping.

    Surgical Options Needed

    Ask your doctors about what surgical option you choose according to your pain and problem.

    Past Health Overview

    • Medical History: Give detailed information about your medical history so that doctors can make the best plan for solving your problem.
    • Medications: Discuss all important things about past and future medications and their effects on the body.

    Potential Risks and Benefits

    • Risks: Discuss about potential risks involved in hip replacement surgery and their cure.
    • Benefits: You should know about the benefits of this surgery in advance so that your problem can be solved and you can choose the best plan for your surgery.

    How much Time Required for Partial Hip and Total Hip Replacement Surgery?

    Both have different times or durations of the surgery:

    Partial Hip Replacement Surgery

    The partial hip replacement surgery typically takes between 1 to 2 hours. This surgery is faster than total hip replacement surgery, and the recovery time is also much shorter. The time can vary based on the level of problem the patient is facing before surgery.

    Total Hip Replacement Surgery

    The total hip replacement surgery typically takes between 2 to 3 hours. This time is not much, but more than partial hip replacement. This surgery takes time but has a positive long-term effect on patients’ lifestyle.

    Risk Involved in Partial Hip Replacement and Total Hip Replacement

    Here is the list of risks involved in both:

    • Infection: Infection is primarily seen after surgery in many cases in the implant area.
    • Blood Clotting: Blood clotting can take place near surgical areas, which can create pain.
    • Fractures: There are chances where fractures can occur in surgical bone.
    • Wear and Loosening of the Implant: There is a problem you can face in the long run that your implants are getting wear and loose with time.
    • Dislocation: The problem occurs when the balls are dislodged from the socket.

    Risk Involved in Partial Hip Replacement

    • Leg length discrepancy: In partial hip replacement surgery, there is a chance of change in the length of one leg from the other leg, which can be longer or shorter than the other leg.

    Risk Involved in Total Hip Replacement

    • Nerve damage: Total hip replacement surgery can lead to nerve damage, which results in pain, tingling, and muscle weakness.

    Cost of Partial Hip Replacement Surgery and Total Hip Replacement Surgery in India

    Cost of hip replacement surgery in India for both:

    Partial Hip Replacement Cost

    The cost for partial hip replacement surgery in India generally ranges from 1,50,000 INR to 3,00,000 INR, but it can vary and depends on many factors such as type of hospital, doctor experience, implant used, and level of complexity of the case.

    Total Hip Replacement Cost

    The cost for total hip replacement surgery in India generally ranges from 2,50,000 INR to 8,00,000 INR, but it can vary and depends on many factors such as type of hospital, doctor experience, implant used, and level of complexity of the case.

    Recovery & Rehabilitation Options for Post-Surgery

    Here are some recovery & rehabilitation options:

    • Physical Therapy: Physical therapy plays a vital role in strengthening the surgical area and improving flexibility, body movement, and range of motion.
    • Pain Management: Pain management is a very important part of the recovery process, which can be done through medication, ice-heat therapy, and relaxation therapy.
    • Nutritional Guidance: In the recovery phase nutritional diet is very important because that is the reason you are going to heal at a faster rate, so it is important for you to take nutritional guidance from your doctors.
    • Patient Education: Patient education is very important to know because it can help you stay away from injuries and stay healthy in the recovery phase.
    • Occupational Therapy: This therapy plays an important role by helping patients regain the ability to perform on a daily basis.
    • Community Support: Support from your loved ones and friends can also help in improving your performance in daily activities.
    • Assistive Devices: These devices, like walker, crutches, play a crucial role in the starting phase of the recovery process, by supporting and balancing the patient.

    Recovery Time for Partial and Total Hip Replacement Surgery

    The recovery time mainly depends on many factors, but it can range from 6 months to 12 months for full recovery. Patients can perform minor activities in 4 to 6 weeks, but factors that can influence the recovery process are the hospital chosen, complexity of the case, experience of the doctors, and most importantly post post-surgery therapies.

    Conclusion

    In this blog, we cover all the important topics of partial hip replacement vs total hip replacement such as risks involved, key differences, surgical methods, factors, time required, and cost. This blog provides you all the necessary information regarding partial hip replacement vs total hip replacement.