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Pelvis X-ray of a 15 year old woman with bilateral
hip pain
secondary to acetabular dysplasia and early arthritis. |
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| The usual hospital stay is 3 to 5 days and depends on how rapidly pain subsides and progress in physical therapy. At discharge pain medication is prescribed as well as an anticoagulant to prevent blood clots. Some degree of pain after discharge is natural which may increase or decrease on different days but the general trend should be toward decreasing pain. Some patients may sense an occasional “click” or “pop” in or around the hip. Numbness and a tingling sensation are common around the incision area. Patients however experiencing severe or consistent pain or having redness, swelling and/or wound drainage should consult with the doctor. | Follow-up outpatient visits are necessary
to monitor progress by X-ray and physical examination. The first follow-up
visit is usually scheduled about 6 weeks after surgery and the second
at 4 months. At 6 weeks after the surgery the patient is allowed to be full weight bearing and work toward discontinuing use of the crutches. Muscle strengthening exercises often with the help of a physical therapist are also started. Progress in walking depends on return of muscle strength. The majority of patients are walking without support by 2 months after the surgery. Subsequent follow-up visits are at 1 year and 2 years after surgery and then at 2 year intervals. A minority of patients request removal of one or more screws that were used to fix the PAO and this can be performed as an outpatient procedure that does not interrupt a patient's continued full function. |
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Pelvis X-ray of the same patient two years after right
PAO and two and a half years after left PAO. Two screws have been removed
on the left. The acetabular dysplasia has been corrected and her hip
function is normal.
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