Hip injury and prosthetic hip

[pasiphile]

Situation: A mid-20's British soldier in excellent physical condition gets caught in an IED explosion in Afghanistan in 2002, leaving him with a partly fractured hip and a lot of superficial damage across his hip and side (ending up in scars). The fracture isn't that bad so the doctors decide on a hip resurfacing (metal-on-metal) rather than a full

Comments

[lilacsigil]

A resurfacing would be because the bone is in great condition and the patient is relatively young and healthy: a break such as you describe rather than wear-and-tear, inflammation or osteoporosis is the ideal candidate. If he wants to go back on active service, it's also quicker and more complete recovery (though obviously part of that is that it's done on patients in better condition to start with). Presuming an optimal recovery, which is not a guarantee, I don't see why active service would be a problem.

After 15 years, you could have bone remodelling that interferes with the socket, osteoarthritis, the implant shifting (doesn't happen so often with hips, but still possible), or simply a problem with the interface between bone and metal that slowly developed over the years. Whether he needs new resurfacing or a full replacement will depend on the cause and the damage, and his level of activity afterwards will depend largely on the same things, plus on how well the operation goes. Some people have total recovery, some don't.

[tylik]

There are also some major differences with kinds of hip replacements. The one that springs to mind is kind of attachment. Some hip replacements are designed to have your bone grow into them. They last better and have better long term outcomes (this is all from memory), but they have a much longer and more painful recovery period. However, with a young, fit guy, it's likely worth the trade off.

[anonymous]

Ex-soldier with admin interaction with the people responsible for rehab - I am personally aware of at least one captain who returned to Afghanistan to command an artillery unit with a prosthetic foot after an IED

[naked_runner]

I'm not so sure whether someone with hip-implants would be allowed or able to have an active job in military, when it involves running, carrying heavy stuff and walking for miles. The people I know and had implants, hip too, were recommended not to run and not to venture in such activities. It takes a few months until they are able to walk properly, but I guess it depends also on the type of surgery. Also, after recovery and all, they are still not 100% able to walk and run and do activities like a person in the same age, who didn't get sick or had an accident that required an implant. I'm not so sure what you mean by "active duty", but from what I've seen I doubt he would be able to run, jump, carry heavy stuff for miles, etc. Or he can do that, but the implants get damaged or broken. There are younger people that get implants, but not so often. Usually it's the elderly that need it, due to, most of times, arthritis