As you get older, bones weaken and it may be difficult to participate in daily activities, but how do you know when your pain is serious? One of the most common causes of pain is from degenerative problems. Osteoarthritis, also called “wear and tear” arthritis, is a common cause of hip pain. It can lead to the erosion of cartilage that cushions the ball of the thighbone within the hip socket, leaving the bones to painfully rub against each other.
You may not notice your hip pain at first, because it is not usually a gradual progression in pain, rather most experience sharp pain as a result of outside factors such as weather and atmospheric conditions.
The most common symptoms of an arthritic hip include:
- Painful day-to-day activities
- Limited range of motion
- Stiffness of the hip and leg
- Walking with a limp
If you experience any of the listed symptoms, your hip pain may still be controllable. As a hip recall attorney (Depuy ASR Hip Recall and Metal on Metal Hip Replacements), I always suggest looking for preventive care options before having surgery. Weight loss, modifying activities, using walking aids, physical therapy, joint supplements and anti-inflammatory medicines can also help diminish hip pain.
Always consult your physician when experiencing pain and do your research before undergoing hip replacement surgery.
10 Signs You Might Have a Defective Hip Implant
As a Maryland hip recall lawyer, I’ve heard stories of hip implant patients experiencing pain from a defective hip right away and I’ve heard from those who didn’t experience any problems at all. In fact right now with the DePuy hip recall there are many people I’ve spoken with that don’t feel any pain, but they could be suffering from other ailments caused by the DePuy ASR hip.
To find out if you have a defective hip, look for recalls, check with your doctor and pay attention to these 10 clues of a defective hip:
1. Pain near the hip itself. Patients may experience discomfort of varying intensity in the artificial hip itself, groin or lower back.
2. Pain on the opposite side. People may unconsciously alter their stride and posture, causing pain in the side opposite the affected joint because it is carrying a heavier “load.”
3. Weight-bearing pain. Weight bearing-activities cause both pain and a sense of being unstable and off balance.
4. Limping. Many patients say they suddenly “realize” they are limping, but, they have been compensating for failing hip function for some time without noticing it.
5. A “wrong” feeling. Though difficult to articulate, patients say that something is “just not right.”
6. Decreased flexibility. This may manifest as stiffness, awkward movement, or an inability to perform tasks that were previously possible, like climbing stairs.
7. Fatigue and decreased stamina. Regular activities are suddenly tiring because, without realizing it, the patient is working harder to overcome the failing function of the prosthetic.
8. Noises emanating from the hip. While squeaking in and of itself does not signal that an artificial hip joint is failing, a prosthetic that is degrading will often make noises.
9. Inflammation or swelling at the site of the implant. This kind of activity generally indicates advanced deterioration. Normally the patient will have noticed other indicators first.
10. No symptoms whatsoever.
If You Are Deciding On Getting Hip Replacement Surgery
Hip replacement surgery may seem like a daunting procedure, but thankfully, it is successful 90 percent of the time. Hip surgery can give life back to patients who have a diseased or broken hip and provide a normal lifestyle after surgery.
A hip prosthesis should reduce the pain the patient felt before surgery and increase the range of motion in the hip joint. While the vast majority of patients report they are pain free and enjoy a flexible life with broader range of motion after surgery, a hip replacement is not a “quick” fix.
Most of the hardship with the first implant is within the first year. While the patient probably won’t be able to do some activities they couldn’t do in the past, such as running or playing basketball, low-impact activities including swimming, golfing and biking will likely be possible.
The patient will be cautioned to limit or to avoid a variety of behaviors including: repetitive, heavy lifting, the excessive climbing of stairs, high-impact exercises like skiing and jogging, quick-start motions, twisting motions, kneeling and sitting on any low surface including low chairs.
As a DePuy hip implant lawyer, I’m glad hip surgery has such a high success rate, but there are complications that can accompany hip surgery, especially if the hip implant is faulty. If the hip implant fails prematurely, and doesn’t give you the promised lifestyle, you should contact a Virginia hip recall lawyer.
FDA Holds Meeting To Discuss Failing Hip Implants
A two-day meeting is being held by the Food and Drug Administration in order to critically analyze metal-on-metal implants for those failing hips. The replacement hips were implanted in nearly half a million Americans, and were found to fail earlier than they should. The metal implants were suggested to not wear as quickly and be less likely to dislocate, although data shows otherwise. “Hip replacements are supposed to last between 10 to 15 years, but more than 6 percent of patients with metal hips needed them replaced after less than five years,” according to CBS News. Research also shows that those who received the implants should get blood tests in order to see if metal components have entered their blood stream. “In my personal opinion there is very little room, if any, for metal-on-metal implants because the alternatives we have on the market are likely safer and as effective,” said Dr. Art Sedrakyan, professor of public health at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York.
As a personal injury attorney, I highly advise that everyone with a metal-on-metal hip implant make an appointment with their doctor in order to check for potential failure or other symptoms caused by wear and tear. If you or someone dear to you believe you were adversely affected by an unsafe product, discuss your claim with an attorney who can evaluate your case and help protect and defend your rights.
Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants Pose Unique Dangers For Patients
Debris from plastic components shed from hip implants into the bloodstream, causing bone loss and loosening the device. Metal-on-metal devices pose a different series of unique problems because metal debris is finer and greater in volume. This may cause a more response in hip replacement patients. This is due to how our bodies process the metal. First off, when metal fragments are introduced, scavenger cells arrive at the scene to ingest them, however during the digestion process metal particles get broken down into ions. These charged particles begin to react chemically with tissues. This results in a heightened immune response, which leads to early device failure along with tissue damage. These symptom can potentially arise within a few years of the patient having a hip replacement implanted.
The Food and Drug Administration has ordered hip manufacturers to research these problems in patients in order to address and treat them. So far, only a fraction of the 500,000 who received implants have suffered from injuries, however that number may rise over time as more experience tissue destruction from metal ions being released into the bloodstream.
FDA Forces Hip Implant Manufacturers To Research Failures
Many metal-on-metal hip implant patients have experienced the frustrations associated with aggravating symptoms caused by the design of the hip replacement. One in particular went to see a specialist in Boston because nobody else could figure out why he was having problems. Many doctors would simply give shots for pain or tell patients not to worry. When the specialist ran his own tests, it was evident tissue damage was present. Other frustrations amongst patients include an IRS worker who contacted her doctor for tests when she heard her implant was recalled. After running tests and scans, her results came back normal. She was not satisfied, however, and contacted a British researcher who suggested they run another test. This revealed high levels of metal particles in her bloodstream.
Four months after replacement surgery, she is slowly recovering and her leg remains week. “If I had not played an role, I think I would have had permanent damage” she said. The FDA ordered hip manufacturers to research the failure of devices and how this affects patients. Doctors are still discovering why some patients with low or normal metal blood levels experience tissue damage, while some with high levels of bleed levels appear to have no tissue damage.
FDA Receives Over 5,000 Reports of Hip Implant Problems
The unique threat of metal-on-metal implants is being discovered by researchers. All implants will release debris, but all-metal implants pose a particularly special problem because scavenger cells inside the body will convert the debris into biologically active metallic ions. This results in a reaction that may annihilate muscle and tissue. Doctors are attempting to pin-down those at highest risk and how to monitor them.
Studies suggest the number of patients affected by metal-on-metal hip replacements will drastically rise due to the tissue destruction caused by metal ions. All-metal hips fail at a rate three times higher than metal-and-plastic hips. The Food and Drug Administration has received over 5,000 reports concerning issues relating to the all-metal hips. One patient received a hip surgery that left him with significant pain. He researched doctors, then went to Boston to see a specialist, who has co-authored studies linking metal debris to aberrant tissue growth. His caseload has tripled over the last year.
FDA Reports Problems Among Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Patients
Metal-on-metal hip replacement systems have additional risks due to their design. A metal ball and cup rub against each other, causing metal particles to shed and release into the bloodstream. There are different reactions to the presence of these particles, which are impossible to completely avoid. One result is tissue damage, which could require revision surgery. Symptoms may also include effects on the thyroid gland, nervous system, and heart. Pain in the groin, swelling, or a change in ability to walk may also be a result of metal particles.
An orthopaedic surgeon will evaluate your symptoms through imaging tests, joint aspiration, and blood tests. Those with a hip implant should be on the look-out for symptoms which effect the heart, nerves, thyroid, and kidney. The FDA recommends that patients with a metal-on-metal implant follow-up with their doctor as necessary for further evaluation.
A medical device alert was issued that includes follow-up recommendations for those who received a metal-on-metal hip implant. Blood tests and imaging was recommended for those patients. The FDA is in the process of gathering data concerning adverse reactions in those with the hip implants.
Hip Implant Makers Must Report Patient Symptoms To FDA
After a growing number of complaints concerning a metal-on-metal hip implant made by DePuy Orthopaedics, the Food and Drug Administration has required that makers of the hips analyze patient symptoms after surgery. The company Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay for “reasonable and customary costs of monitoring” of this hips. Around 20 hip manufacturers are required to report patient progress. Metal-on-metal implants have a higher risk factor due to the friction of metal rubbing on each other, releasing metal into the bloodstream, resulting in allergies, tissue damage, and infection. Metal released into the bloodstream could also cause heart and neurological issues.
According to news reports, a scientist from the FDA will conduct follow-up studies to determine the harm metal does in the bloodstream. Blood samples will be collected. An orthopedic surgeon advises that patients be aware of pain, numbness, or swelling that occurs after surgery. Researchers are currently developing sturdier implants that will last as long as 30 years.