A True Story Reveals Legal Assistance against Hip Injury from Can-can Dance

In a recent interview, Strictly Star Craig Revel Horwood has blamed “all those years of can-cans and dropping in the splits” for his recent need for a hip replacement. He explained further that just like any sports injury, the rigors of ballet training can be very detrimental to the body.

We Aren’t All Dancers

It’s not just dancers and sportsmen that suffer with their joints. There are many physically demanding jobs that take their toll on our bodies. Any job that puts repetitive strain on your joints will inevitably cause problems at some point in your life. Ironically, those that care for us, the nurses and carers, often have problems with their backs or joints from the years of bending and lifting connected with their job. 

Thankfully, most employers put in place codes of practice to make sure that their workforce remains healthy. Even with the most robust precautions it is inevitable that some jobs will cause wear and tear on your body.

Hip Replacement – a New Lease of Life

Those of us that use the NHS usually have to wait to have a hip replacement operation. The government states that no one should wait more than six months. In fact, the vast majority of hip replacements are performed in less than five months. In the time up to the operation you will experience quite some discomfort. You may well favor your other leg to avoid the pain. 

This can lead to other aches and pains as your body is not moving properly. Sometimes the muscles in your ‘bad’ leg will start to diminish and this will require further physiotherapy after your operation. However, for all the problems before your operation, you will soon be up and about with your new hip. 

All you ‘Strictly’ fans will have seen Craig Revel Horwood back on the show within a couple of days of the operation, albeit with a spangled crutch and adapted sparkly chair and cushion.

What if it Goes Wrong?

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has already suggested that the NHS should not use any hip implants with a failure rate higher than 5% within five years. This includes most types of metal-on-metal implants which have raised fears that they can leak toxic metal. One device, the DePuy ASR, has drawn the most publicity. 

The manufacturers have withdrawn the device but only after failure rates of 13% within five years had been reported. Almost a quarter of cases within that period had to have corrective surgery.

How Will I Know?

Firstly, if you have a metal-on-metal implant, you should attend regular check-ups. Should you have any changes in your general well-being you should see your doctor.

Some of the symptoms are quite obvious:

• Problems walking or a limp
• Pain in the hip, leg or groin
• Swelling around the hip joint

Other symptoms that may be because your device is failing are:

• Fatigue
• Chest pain
• Shortness of breath
• Weakness or numbness
• Changes in vision or hearing
• Weight gain
• Feeling cold

If you experience any of these symptoms you should see your doctor.

What Else Can I Do?

If there is a problem with your hip replacement your doctor will be able to tell you what treatment is required. In most cases it would be corrective surgery. Even if you have no symptoms but your doctor has contacted you about possible problems with your metal-on-metal implant you should still seek legal advice. Compensation is available for those people who are suffering unnecessarily due to defective hip replacements. Contact Thompsons expert solicitors for advice on a no-win, no-fee claim.

Understanding The Costs Associated With Heart Disease

Health (Photo credit: Tax Credits)

The costs of leading an unhealthy lifestyle have a substantial effect on your lifestyle costs in the future. Going without exercise and consuming foods that are considered to be traditionally unhealthy puts you at risk of developing heart disease and can leave you with hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Making the choice to leave a healthy lifestyle is often difficult until your eyes have been opened to the possibilities of what being diagnosed with heart disease can potentially cost in the future. 

What are the potential costs of heart disease?

Doctors Visits and Procedures

Visits to the doctor, procedures and admission to hospital and medical facilities have the potential to cost upwards of several thousand dollars, for each trip to the center. Imaging procedures are costly and are often required multiple times through the course of a visit to a cardiac health center -- adding up significantly. 

Nutritionist Costs and Dietary Needs

Once patients have suffered a cardiac event, it's essential to take the right path when it comes to health and nutrition. Unfortunately, this can include added costs of physical training and therapy, healthy food that is suited to specialized diets and fitness club memberships. Taking the health seriously late in life is costly -- and not something that should be taken lightly. 

Health Insurance Premiums 

Health insurance premiums are based on the health and the history of the patient. Patients that have a poor health history will experience higher health insurance premiums than otherwise healthy patients. 
In some cases, patients searching for health insurance are denied because of the increased risk based on their previous history. In the case that there is no health insurance, one visit to a cardiac specialist can cost upwards of seven hundred dollars -- and that's without any imaging or studies being completed during the appointment. 

The Cost of Medication

In the case that you've suffered a cardiac event, it's likely that you're going to be on some sort of medication regimen. This daily regimen can cost several hundred dollars monthly -- as not all of the prescribed medications are covered by supplemental health insurance plans. 
Though there is help available for the costs of medication, it rarely covers the entire monthly amount, leaving patients short on medication or short on money. 
Sure, there are generic options that are available that can help to lower the price but the long term cost of medication to reduce the instance of developing further cardiac issues can be quite high. Many patients that are unable to work, have few other options, and have difficulty affording the required medication. 

Surgery

During the worst case scenario, patients that have experienced a cardiac event are likely going to require some sort of surgical intervention. This type of intervention is going to require consultations with physicians and cardiac specialists, admission into the hospital facility, tests, monitoring and medication in addition to the costs of the surgery. 
The entire cost of a cardiac surgery, depending on the circumstances, can be upwards of forty thousand dollars. For patients that require more than one surgery, the costs can be exponential and leave the patient without the funds in the budget to repay the debts that are owed to the hospital. 
Taking into account the finance related implications of heart disease is something that patients should consider before they reach that point. Making the effort to follow healthy eating guidelines, maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle and avoiding things that can increase the risk factor, like smoking, can help to reduce the chances that you're going to find yourself bankrupt, sick and in need of medical and surgical intervention.

Author Bio

Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she describes the costs associated with heart disease and aims to encourage further study through clinical laboratory science schools.