When to Have a Hip Replacement

Hip replacement surgery is designed to reconstruct a damaged hip joint with prosthetic implant materials that restore normal hip joint function and anatomy. The results of hip replacement surgery are very predictable (and usually excellent), and the operation and the prosthetic implant materials used have improved considerably since the operation became routine in the early 1960s. What follows is a brief guide outlining the degrees and types of hip joint dysfunction that normally warrant surgical hip replacement.

Severe Pain Levels

• Various types of hip diseases and hip injuries can damage a hip joint beyond repair and cause significant pain and limitations in hip function. When hip pain levels become severe or chronic, and when hip pain rarely abates (even at rest) or causes sleep disruptions, hip replacement surgery is normally warranted and advised. Severe, unrelenting hip pain is generally the main determining factor as to when a person should have a hip replacement. Mild to moderate hip pain levels can generally be modified and adequately managed; severe hip pain levels warrant surgical replacement of a diseased hip joint.

Severe Loss of Hip Function

• In addition to severe hip pain, a severe loss of hip joint function or range of motion is a strong sign that a diseased hip joint should be replaced. A severe or significant loss of hip joint range of motion can severely disrupt normal everyday activities and make basic personal hygiene/grooming habits--cutting toenails, shaving legs, bathing, etc.--extremely difficult and, in some cases, impossible. A diseased hip joint with severely restricted hip function is likely to worsen as the disease progresses. Therefore, hip replacement surgery, which almost always results in normal or near-normal hip joint function, is strongly advised when hip joint motion is severely impaired.

Psychological/Emotional Factors

• It is common for an individual suffering from the ill effects of a diseased or damaged hip joint to develop depression and/or anxiety and stress secondary to the physical limitations and pain imposed upon the individual by the diseased hip joint. A painful, damaged hip can have a severe impact on quality of life, including the ability to work, and this can lead to withdrawal, social isolation, and frustration, which can fuel depression and anxiety-related disorders. Hip replacement surgery is warranted when a painful, diseased hip joint negatively affects an individual's life to the point of causing severe emotional distress.