Arthritis causes deterioration of the cartilage cushion in the hip joint. Once it’s bad enough, pain results from the bearing surfaces of the joint rubbing against each other any time movement is attempted. When cartilage is lost and a joint is “bone on bone,” the cartilage will not grow back. The arthritic joint will only continue to worsen. Total hip replacement surgery involves replacing the damaged portions of the hip joint with a synthetic implant.
The hip is a ball and socket joint. During surgery, the femur (thigh bone) is prepared to accept a new ball joint and stem. A synthetic cup and liner will be placed in the pelvic bone to form the new socket. Once recovery is complete, the joint should function normally again with little or no discomfort. The design of the implant offers you renewed stability and function. Hip replacement surgery has a very high success rate, and it can offer incredible quality of life improvement for most patients. Your doctor may recommend a total hip replacement if you have damage to the joint surfaces and pain that physical therapy, medicines, and exercise doesn’t help.
More than 450,000 hip replacements are done each year in the USA alone. It is not only a successful procedure in the US, but all over the world. As you consider the option to have a hip replaced, we believe patients should seek out as much information as possible on the mechanics of the joint and all options available for treatment. BoneSmart offers unbiased information to help you on our website, a forum to address your specific questions, and an annual Joint Replacement Awareness Day in May to help you make the right decision for you about hip replacement surgery.
Choosing a Hip Replacement Surgeon
You've suffered through pain and discomfort related to your hip degeneration and have finally decided to consult with an orthopedic ...
Hip Osteoarthritis (Arthritis)
Osteoarthritis, also known as “wear and tear” arthritis is a degenerative disease in which the surface cartilage of a joint ...
How do I know if I need hip replacement surgery?
It is certainly true that not everyone with hip joint pain needs a total hip replacement, but when your quality ...
How successful is hip replacement surgery?
Total hip replacement is one of the most successful and cost effective interventions in medicine with over 310,000 such procedures ...
Possible Hip Replacement Surgery Complications
Despite its complexity, hip replacement surgery is a procedure with a high success rate. Although any surgical procedure carries the ...
Reasons for Hip Replacement Surgery
There are several conditions which can lead to chronic hip pain and disability, requiring hip replacement. The overwhelming majority of ...
What are the risks of delaying my hip replacement surgery?
As a patient, only you can decide when you are ready for surgery. Doctors and surgeons may make recommendations, but ...
Why is it important to get a second opinion for a total hip replacement?
When choosing a hip replacement surgeon you will want to compare two or even three surgeons. Total hip surgery is ...
Choosing a Hip Implant (Prosthesis)
One of the things you will want to discuss with your chosen hip surgeon is the type of hip replacement ...
Durability of Hip Implants: How Long Do Hip Replacements Last?
The short answer is hip implants generally last between 15 and 20 years but often much longer. There are many ...
Hip Implants
Arthritis ‘wear and tear’ of the hip joint leads many to consider hip implants. Depending on the severity of your ...
Hip Replacement Implant Materials
There are a large number of hip implant devices on the market. Each manufacturer has different models but each style ...
How to choose a hip or knee replacement surgeon and prosthesis
You’ve decided you want hip or knee replacement surgery and now it’s time to choose a surgeon and decide what ...
Is the Plastic Used in Knee and Hip Implants Safe?
Every total knee replacement implant and many total hip replacement implants utilize ultra-high molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), a plastic, in their ...
Metal-on-Metal Hip Implant Recalls
Traditionally, hip implants were made of ceramic and metal parts. More recently, some devices began using metal-on-metal components for increased ...
Partial Hip Replacement Implants
Partial hip replacement implants are used most commonly to treat a fractured hip in an older patient, rather than a ...
Specialized and Custom Fitted Hip Implant Options
Several manufacturers offer specialized or custom-fit knee implants - but what about hips? For example, do women need gender-specific hip ...
Total Hip Replacement Implants
A total hip replacement replaces your arthritic hip joint and eliminates the damaged bearing surfaces that are causing pain. The ...
Types of Total Hip Implants and Fixation
During a hip replacement, the head of the femur is removed. A metal stem is inserted and a ball fitted ...
About Hip Replacement
In order to understand hip replacement it helps to first understand the hip joint itself, the types of hip replacement ...
Advantages of Minimally Invasive Surgery for Hip Replacement
Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is one surgical approach with the goal in mind of enabling surgeons to perform hip replacement ...
Computer-Assisted Robotic Hip Replacement Surgery
In computer-assisted robotic surgery, a robot acts as an extension of the surgeon’s eyes and hands in a minimally invasive ...
Conservative or Non-Invasive Treatment for Hip Pain
Hip replacement surgery - like all surgeries - is generally only recommended after all conservative (non-invasive) treatment options fail to ...
Hip Arthroscopy
Arthroscopy (not to be confused with arthroplasty) is a surgical procedure that allows your orthopedic surgeon to see, diagnose, and treat problems ...
Hip Replacement Approaches
There are a variety of materials used to create the prosthetic components of an artificial hip. But there is also ...
Hip Replacement: Direct Anterior Approach
When a total hip replacement is performed, your surgeon has a few approaches (type of incisions) to choose from. The ...
Hip Resurfacing
Unlike a total hip replacement, hip resurfacing effectively relines the hip joint rather than completely replacing it. It is viewed ...
Hip Resurfacing vs. Partial Hip Replacement
Hip Resurfacing Hip resurfacing is generally considered to be a good option for younger patients as less bone is resected ...
Hip Revision Surgery
A hip revision procedure involves removing and replacing a worn, loosened or misaligned implant in order to relieve pain and ...
Micro-Posterior Hip Approach
This innovative procedure employs various techniques that are applied with extra care and diligence to achieve some good early outcomes ...
Minimally invasive hip replacement approaches and procedures
“Minimally invasive hip replacement surgery” is a general term that describes several variations of existing surgical techniques that are designed ...
Other Surgical Interventions for Hip Conditions
While total hip replacement is the most common hip surgery, there are a number of other surgical interventions to relieve ...
Partial Hip Replacement Surgery
Partial hip replacement, also called hip hemiarthroplasty, is a surgical procedure where only the femoral head (the ball) of the ...
Surgical Procedures and Other Hip Treatments
The hip joint is where the head of the thigh bone or femur meets the pelvis. The femoral head is ...
Total Hip Replacement
In a total hip replacement both the thigh bone (femur) and the socket are replaced with implant materials and prostheses ...
What is the difference between hip resurfacing and total hip replacement?
The hip joint is a simple ball and socket shape. The ball is at the top of your thigh bone ...
Benefits of Online Communities for Hip Replacement Patients
Online patient communities and patient forums have sprouted up all across the web, focusing on conditions ranging from insomnia to ...
Hip Replacement Recovery: Exercises & Physical Therapy After Surgery
One of the most rewarding things to look forward to after hip replacement surgery is regaining mobility and independence that ...
How do I manage pain after total hip replacement surgery?
Patients about to undergo hip replacement surgery have many questions, and among the most common are those relating to pain ...
How long does it take to recover from total hip replacement surgery?
Perhaps the most common questions patients have about hip replacement are regarding the recovery process and recovery time. There is ...
How much time will I have to be off work for hip replacement surgery?
Recovery after hip replacement surgery involves a slow process of rehabilitation. Swelling remains a serious issue for most patients. While ...
Pain Medication and Addiction after Knee or Hip Surgery
The proper use of pain medication after knee replacement surgery or hip replacement surgery is a very important aspect of ...
Recovering from Total Hip Replacement Surgery
Recovery Time While each person will recover from hip surgery at a different rate, many doctors will advise you to ...
Reducing Post-Operative Pain from Hip Replacement
For hip replacement patients, post-operative pain is among the top concerns prior to surgery. To be honest, there’s not an ...
About the Hip Joint
The hip is the body's second largest weight-bearing joint (after the knee). It is a ball and socket joint at ...
Hip Pain and Problems from Injuries, Arthritis
Problems with our hips can be caused by diseases such as osteoarthritis or avascular necrosis. Other hip problems are attributed ...