Total hip replacement surgery is a procedure that involves a surgeon removing and replacing diseased or damaged pieces of hip bone with a prosthetic hip joint. Approximately one to 10 percent of patients experience dislocation complications after total hip replacement surgery, according to the University of Washington School of Medicine. Patients who develop symptoms of dislocation complications after having total hip replacement surgery should seek prompt medical care. Additional surgery may be necessary to replace the dislocated joint back into its proper position.
Hip Pain
Pain is the most common symptom associated with a hip dislocation. Sensations of pain within the hip are typically severe and may be exacerbated by physical movement of the affected leg, Aurora Health Care warns. Thus, patients with a hip dislocation experience extreme difficulty standing or moving about normally. Affected patients can develop pain symptoms that specifically localize to the hip, but discomfort can extend down into the thigh or knee. Resting the affected leg does not resolve hip pain symptoms related to hip dislocation complications after total hip replacement surgery. Patients who experience persistent, sudden or severe pain after surgery should contact a physician immediately.
Uneven Leg Lengths
Following hip dislocation, the affected leg can appear shorter than the healthy leg, the Alaska Native Medical Center explains. The hip joint itself can also appear unusually deformed and may turn outward away from the pelvis. The dislocated hip joint can be tender to the touch and bruises can appear across regions of damaged skin.
Numbness
If the newly implanted hip joint falls out of place after surgery, it can damage or depress the sciatic nerve, The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library reports. This nerve is the largest in the human body and runs from the lower back down into the back of the thighs. People who damage this nerve during a hip dislocation can experience persistent or recurrent sensations of numbness, tingling or pain that run along the location of the sciatic nerve. Sciatic nerve pain complications after total hip replacement surgery can be extremely uncomfortable, and affected patients should consult a physician for further evaluation and care.
