Description of Hip Replacement Surgery

Hip replacement surgery is a major surgical procedure designed to replace a worn-out, degraded hip joint with a prosthetic, or artificial, hip implant. Hip replacement surgery eliminates the pain and disability caused by a diseased hip joint and allows for the resumption of an active lifestyle. What follows is a brief overview of hip replacement surgery.

Significance

• Hip replacement surgery replaces the worn-out ball and socket of the hip joint with artificial replacement parts, or implants, designed to mimic the function and feel of a natural hip joint.

Features

• Traditional hip replacement surgery involves two major parts: the femoral implant and the acetabular implant. The femoral implant is a prosthetic ball inserted in place of the damaged and/or eroded natural hip joint ball, or femoral head. The acetabular implant takes the place of the degraded acetabular cartilage and is an oval-shaped disc inserted into the socket portion of the hip joint.

Benefits

• Hip replacement surgery improves function and mobility and eliminates pain from a diseased or damaged hip joint. Most hip replacement recipients can resume active, pain-free lifestyles with minimal restrictions.

Considerations

• You should make the decision to proceed with hip replacement surgery only after you have exhausted more conservative and noninvasive forms of treatment. Hip replacement surgery is major surgery that is designed to treat the pain and disability caused by major joint problems and dysfunctions.

Warning

• An artificial hip replacement is helpful for restoring lost mobility from a diseased hip joint and for enabling the resumption of an active lifestyle. However, an artificial hip implant is not as stable or as resilient as a natural hip joint; thus, your doctor will recommend certain physical restrictions and limitations.