Has anybody any experience of or known anybody that has had a hip replacement operation here in Spain.

If so, has the results been generally satisfactory.

I know a couple of people who have had hip replacements - one just a few weeks ago & she's already walking around just fine

the other had hers quite a few years ago - her job now means she's on her feet sometimes 12 hours a day with very few problems

Last summer when OH was in hospital as usual there seemed to be an influx of people having hip replacements. I knew two of the people, one was elderly the other was a very young woman. They were walking quite well very quickly, I must admit that I was impressed at their progress.

Rosemary

I was in a car crash here a couple of years ago and literally smashed my hip, so was taken to urgencias, where the next day they gave me a hip replacement.
Because they considered me younger than the average hip replacement patient, they gave me an uncemented hip replacement, which meant I was not allowed to put any pressure on the hip for over 6 weeks and had to use crutches, so my stay here was prolonged a bit! After that, it took another 4 or so weeks for me to be able to walk without crutches and 6 months in all before my new hip felt completely healed. But after that, I can honestly say that the new hip feels just like a normal one and I do a lot of standing at my work and walk a couple of miles each day.
When I got my hip checked out in the UK, the consultant said that the Spanish surgeons did an excellent job. He actually seemed quite envious of the replacement they had been able to give me.

Speaking to the surgeons here, it seems that age and bone density is a factor, especially for non-urgent hip replacements.
Surgeons prefer to give uncemented hips to anyone who will (hopefully) need the replacement to last quite a few years and when a longer period of being unable to walk will not impact on the patients health. They also like to do this if the patient usually leads an active life. This is because, although with cemented hips, the patient is able to get up and walk within a couple of days, a revision on a cemented hip can be a much bigger operation than on an uncemented one.

The 6 or so weeks on crutches can seem like a lifetime, but for me it was worth it to have a new hip which is as capable as the old one.

But this is actually something particular to Spain and not the UK. In the UK, a patient with an uncemented hip replacement is often allowed to walk within a few days of the operation, but the jury is still out on which practice is better, if either. All in all I was happy that as my hip had to be replaced, it was done in Spain.

I had been suffering with osteo-arthritus in my hip for the last 2 -3 years. I was warned by friends that I would not qualify for a replacement as I was "only" 57. So was suprised when it was offered. I was given a ceramic and titanium at the end of January at Villajoyosa Hospital. Like above poster it was the uncemented type and I was warned to not put weight on it. At my 4 week revision with xray surgon said I could now walk normaly. It is now 3 weeks later and I can walk with only a slight limp. No crutches or stick needed. Im back at the gym, going swimming etc. I had prepared for the op by loosing about 15 kg and regularly exercising although with pain using a tens machine for pain control. Main comment would be that I was given NO physio therapy guidance. I had researched and printed off a series of exercises to do and advice how to get out of bed etc but was told nothing here. except do not use leg and dont cross legs! I am very happy and no more pain!

Is the waiting list shorter in the UK or in Spain.

I've just spoken to the expert and she informs me that the waiting lists in Spain are much shorter than in the UK.

Many thanks for your replies. Has given my OH more confidence to face what we think is going to be the inevitable some time in the not too distant future.

Depends on where you live in the UK , I know someone who was diagnosed as needing a new hip and had one fitted within 4 weeks , Perthshire.

What I found the problem was time wise it was 4 months from gp referring me, to the appointment with traumatologist. He told me I needed a MRI scan which took 4 months then another 4 months to see traumatologist again who referred me to Surgeon at Hosp another 4 months. After seeing him it was only 2 months to op. ie 18 months total. Had I known that, it might have speeded things up by 8 months if I had had an MRI done private and taken that with me on the first visit to traumatologist. This was using Foettes in Benidorm and Villajoyosa Hospital. May be better where you are! Ask the local translators as they spend all day at hospital and know all the ins and outs! I have been given a ceramic hip which Im not sure they give in UK as its the most expensive.

They certainly do fit them, but in low numbers, one of the reason being some surgeons are not big fans of them.
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I don't know where you found that information, but I think you will find it is out of date.
The catastrophic failures of a small number of ceramic hips led to a great deal more research and much more stable material being produced.
When you look at research papers from orthopedic consultants in Spain, I think you will find that ceramic is often the material of choice, especially since research is still ongoing on problems with metal on metal hips. And all plastic or a mix of metal and plastic hip replacements are not the best option when considering long term wear.

Spain also has a different system of acquiring hip replacement parts to the UK. In Spain, it is more likely that full, custom parts are used, so ceramic on ceramic often comes ready for use (with a choice of sizes of course). In the UK, a mix of parts from stock is frequently used, so an all ceramic replacement isn't always an option, but having said that, I know several younger people in the UK who have recently had all ceramic hip replacements, so I doubt that the risk of catastrophic failure is considered a major concern.