Hip Replacement

Hip Replacement is a surgical procedure that’s recommended to patients whose hip (total or partial) has been damaged either by osteoarthritis, a fracture, or other conditions. Such individuals may experience stiffness or pain while performing common daily activities like walking, getting in and out of a chair and restricted body movements, etc. Usually when non-invasive methods such as medications, physiotherapy or the use of walking supports fail to help relieve symptoms adequately, one may consider a hip replacement surgery, an effective and safe surgical procedure to replace a damaged hip joint with an artificial one. A modern artificial hip joint is designed to last for at least 25-30 years.

Adults of any age can be considered for a hip replacement, although it’s commonly carried out on people between the age group of 60-80 years. Post hip replacement surgery, patients experience a significant reduction in pain and improved joint function.

Partial and Total Hip Replacement

During the partial hip replacement procedure, only the ball of the hip joint is removed and replaced. It does not replace the socket. The surgery is often performed to repair certain types of hip fractures. Whereas, during the total hip replacement surgery, which is the second most common orthopaedic surgery after total knee replacement, bone and cartilage on both ball-and-socket hip joint are removed and replaced with an artificial implant.

The ceramic or metal ball, called as the hip implant is attached to a metal stem.

The stem is firmly fixed into the core of the thighbone in one of the following ways:

Cemented: New parts of the hip joint are cemented with existing healthy bone.

Uncemented: Artificial parts are made of porous material that allows the patient’s own bone to grow into the pores.

Hybrid: As the name suggests, this kind of replacement consisted of in uncemented socket part and cemented socket part of the joint.