Anyone who’s worked in geriatrics knows the frustration of trying to get patients to adhere to hip precautions following a total hip replacement.

One team in Great Britain had the same frustration with a patient who would not follow the hip flexion precaution and she experienced recurrent posterior dislocation.  Her dislocations came during simple maneuvers — getting into the bath tub or sitting on a low sofa — the same challenges I’ve had with numerous patients over the years.

The British team then developed the simple padded device you see in this picture. 

The cuff wraps around the thigh, secures with Velcro and has the small plastic tab that puts pressure on the groin crease when flexing beyond 70° to remind the patient to stop flexing.

In this case study the patient wore the device continuously, except to wash, with no further dislocations over a period of 2 years.

Anyone up for a larger study?  Anyone?

Read more about it at Journal of Medical Case Reports - July 2008