Category Archives: Health

Anterior Hip Replacement

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The anterior approach surgery procedure is a technique that minimizes the pain and time from surgery to recovery. The anterior approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip as opposed to the lateral (side), or the posterior (back) approach, both of which can cause significant muscular damage. With the anterior approach the hip can be replaced without detachment of muscle from the pelvis or femur during surgery. By way of this anterior approach the surgeon can simply work through the natural interval between the muscles, rather than detaching them. In this way the gluteal muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur are left undisturbed in the anterior approach. Therefore, these muscles do not require a healing process after the surgery.

via Anterior Hip Replacement.

Tantalum Coated Implants – Strong and Durable

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Tantalum Coated Implants – Strong, Compatible and Durable

Tantalum is a hard, grayish blue metal. Its importance in the field of orthopedics comes from the fact that tantalum coated implants have several properties that can be used to enhance the quality of the implants used in hip replacement.

Implants used in joint replacements are prone for rejection by the body. Artificial replacement implants such as those used in hip replacements are so designed that the material used in these implants are compatible with the body tissues. This property of an implant is called biocompatibility. A tantalum coated implant has a pinhole free surface, which increases the biocompatibility of the implant. Tantalum can be used in coating the implant surface of most of the materials used in hip implants such as stainless steel, ceramic, cobalt chromium and titanium alloys.

via Tantalum Coated Implants – Strong, Compatible and Durable.

Hip Replacement vs. Hip Resurfacing

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Jane Brody, the Times’s Personal Health columnist, recently reported on less invasive techniques for hip replacement that reduce complications and speed recovery. Dr. Patrick A. Meere, an orthopedic surgeon at New York University who specializes in hip and knee arthritis surgery, joined the Consults blog to answer reader questions. Here, Dr. Meere responds to several readers who asked about hip replacement versus hip resurfacing. In addition, see Dr. Meere’s many responses in the Comments section of “Improving on the Hip Replacement”; additional responses will be posted in the coming days, so check back for updates.

via Hip Replacement vs. Hip Resurfacing – NYTimes.com.

Biocompatibility – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Biocompatibility is related to the behavior of biomaterials in various contexts. The term refers to the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific situation.[1] The ambiguity of the term reflects the ongoing development of insights into how biomaterials interact with the human body and eventually how those interactions determine the clinical success of a medical device (such as pacemaker, hip replacement or stent). Modern medical devices and prostheses are often made of more than one material so it might not always be sufficient to talk about the biocompatibility of a specific material.[2]

Indeed, since the immune response and repair functions in the body are so complicated it is not adequate to describe the biocompatibility of a single material in relation to a single cell type or tissue. Sometimes one hears of biocompatibility testing that is a large battery of in vitro test[3] that is used in accordance with ISO 10993 (or other similar standards) to determine if a certain material (or rather biomedical product) is biocompatible. These tests do not determine the biocompatibility of a material,[4] but they constitute an important step towards the animal testing and finally clinical trials that will determine the biocompatibility of the material in a given application, and thus medical devices such as implants or drug delivery devices.

via Biocompatibility – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Hip Replacement Implant Materials | BoneSmart

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Hip Replacement Implant Materials

There are a large number of hip implant devices on the market. Each manufacturer has different models but each style falls into one of four basic material categories:

metal on plastic (polyethylene or UHMWPE)

metal on metal (MoM)

ceramic on plastic (UHMWPE)

ceramic on ceramic (CoC)

These category names reference the materials used for the implant bearings. The stem and ball fit into and articulate against the cup or acetabulum. Each component can be made of one of several materials.

There is no consensus in the orthopedic community regarding the single “best” bearing or material. The choice generally comes down to your surgeon’s preference. Each surgeon has innumerable reasons for choosing one device over another, including his or her personal experience as well as tool and implantation method preferences.

via Hip Replacement Implant Materials | BoneSmart.

TOP 7 HIPster TIPS…During THR Recovery

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1.  tvTime to add more movie channels to your TV – ask for a month free promotion.2.   emailAdd email and IM to your phone by getting a month free from your cell phone provider, says time and pain not to have to get up and check your mail; you get everything in one place.3.    baby blankie Buy yourself an adult “blankie” to curl up with and take with you in ever room you lie or relax in.  You should be getting up and changing positions every 25 or 30 minutes.  Taking your “blankie” with you helps to feel secure and safe in the womb of your recovery home.  Mine is a soft, lion-type motif….reminding me that I am strong….like a mother lion.

4.   groceryOrder groceries, water bottles and household items online (I used yummy.com), they deliver your favorites items (including hand-made deli food) and carry it up to your kitchen.

5.    walking with cane Find a neighbor who normally walks daily and ask them if you can tag along on a consistent basis, that way you don’t have to beg or encourage friends to come and take you for a walk.

6.   lettersTell the mailman you’ll be recovering inside your home, and if he/she wouldn’t mind leaving your mail by your door.   You can tip them during the holidays for this gift of convenience.

7.   pink_phone Have a buddy system with a few appointed friends, which you/they check in on daily, in the morning and at night.  Other people and friends have their own lives, and it’s frustrating and almost depressing to feel like you’ve been forgotten during the recovery time.

Take three smaller walks a day instead one big one (which is harder to recover from).  It’s like eating small meals throughout the day – much better for our bodies.  Same with walking….easier to recover from small walks – and more enjoyable to see the world throughout the day!

Ask for what you need – so people know!!! 


Stay tuned for more HIP tips as they reveal themselves!

xoxo…

70 Most Outstanding Hip Surgeons and Specialists

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Here are 70 Outstanding Hip Surgeons and Specialists….the best list I have ever found to lead you to the right surgeon for you!

You must have the right surgeon to trust and believe in – so you MUST research and be your OWN advocate!!!

Get Affordable Health Care

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Get Affordable Health Care

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is an Agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HRSA provides funds to Health Centers, hospitals, and other care facilities to help people get health care they can afford.

Health Centers

Health centers provide health and dental care to people of all ages, whether or not they have health insurance or the money to pay for health care.

 

via Get Affordable Health Care.

Your Insurance Company & Costs of Coverage | CompanyProfiles.Healthcare.gov

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Your Insurance Company & Costs of Coverage

The Affordable Care Act includes features that promote transparency and hold insurers accountable for how they spend your premium dollars and rate increases. “Medical Loss Ratio” and “Rate Review” are two features of the health care law that are in place and making a difference for consumers.

Medical Loss Ratio: Insurers must, in general, spend 80% or 85% of the premium dollars they take in on health care costs and health care improvement activities. If they do not, they must provide refunds to policy holders. Learn more about Medical Loss Ratio.

Rate Review: Health insurance companies must tell consumers when they want to increase insurance rates for individual or small group policies by an average of 10% or more. Learn more about Rate Reviews.

Use the search tool below to find a basic profile of your insurance company or information about Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) and Rate Reviews. To get started, select your state, enter the name of your insurance company, or enter the company’s NAIC Number (consumers can find the NAIC Number on their policy document, from their state Department of Insurance website or by contacting their insurer). Then select Overview, MLR, or Rate Reviews and click the Search button. You can also use the Rate Review tool further down the page to find rate increases where you live. Note: Not all states currently have rate reviews to report.

via Your Insurance Company & Costs of Coverage | CompanyProfiles.Healthcare.gov.