Safe Positioning for Sexual Intercourse After Proximal Femoral Replacement

Hip arthroplasty is a common procedure used for the treatment of fractures and degenerative processes affecting the hip. Proximal femoral replacement is an uncommon type of hip arthroplasty used for reconstruction after extensive bone loss. Proximal femoral replacement is used most commonly after the resection of the proximal femur for malignancies and for extensive bone loss encountered in revision hip arthroplasty and occasionally for extensive bone loss after fractures. The authors present a case of a female patient who sustained a prosthetic dislocation of her proximal femoral replacement during sexual intercourse. Standard hip arthroplasty itself can pose a risk factor for dislocation associated with certain sexual positions. Proximal femoral replacement surgery likely carries an increased risk for dislocation, given the magnitude of soft tissue loss at the time of resection. The authors believe that routine perioperative conversations for sexually active patients with proximal femur replacements should include this potential risk and discuss appropriate positioning to prevent a potential dislocation. [Orthopedics. 2018; 41(2):e292-e294.].