The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. This type of joint allows a good range of movement in any direction.
The ball of the hip joint is known as the femoral head, and is located at the top of the thigh bone (the femur). This rotates within a hollow, or socket, in the pelvis, called the acetabulum.
Hip replacement surgery involves removing parts of the hip joint that are causing problems – usually the ball and socket – and replacing them with new parts made from metal, plastic or ceramic.
The most common reason for having a hip replacement is osteoarthritis. Other possible reasons include rheumatoid arthritis, a hip fracture or hip dysplasia; a condition where the hip joint hasn’t developed properly.
Many thousands of people have hip replacement surgery each year. It usually brings great benefits in terms of reduced pain, improved mobility and a better quality of life.
But as with all surgery it’s important to think about the possible risks and to discuss them with your surgeon before you decide to go ahead.
If you have arthritis in your hip your doctors will encourage you to try other options before suggesting a hip replacement. The options include painkillers, keeping to a healthy weight, exercise and physiotherapy, walking aids, or sometimes a steroid injection into the hip joint.
It may be worth thinking about surgery if pain and stiffness are having a big impact on your daily activities, or if you’re no longer able to manage your symptoms and this is affecting your quality of life.,
There are no upper or lower age limits for having hip replacement surgery. However, replacement joints do eventually wear out, so the younger you are when you have surgery, the more likely it is that you’ll need further surgery at some point in the future.
Most people who have hip replacements notice an improvement in their overall quality of life and mobility.
Freedom from pain is often the main benefit of surgery. You should expect to have some pain from the surgery to begin with, but you’ll be given medication to help with this. Pain from the surgery itself should start to ease within the first two weeks after the operation. However, some people will have longer-term pain and, in some cases, this may need further treatment.
You can expect to have some improvement in mobility as well, although a hip replacement may not give quite as much mobility as a healthy natural hip joint. You may find it easier to move simply because there’s less pain. But you’ll probably have a greater improvement if you take an active part in your recovery – for example, by regularly doing the exercises recommended for you.
Some people find that one leg feels longer than the other after the operation. Sometimes this may be because you’ve become used to walking in a way that eases the load on your painful hip. If this is the case, physiotherapy should help. If there is a real difference in leg length, this may need to be corrected with a shoe insert or insole.
As with all major operations, there are some risks involved in the surgery itself. We’ll look at these risks in more detail later on, but your surgeon will also discuss these with you before you decide to go ahead with surgery.
Total hip replacement is the most common and successful type, although there are two different surgical approaches (for example, posterior and anterior). Hip resurfacing is another type of hip replacement that might be appropriate in some patients. In rare circumstances, a procedure known as hemiarthroplasty or partial hip replacement may be used, typically in the setting of specific types of hip fractures.
Pain or discomfort holding you back? Get a consultation with our specialists at SRG Hospital. Whether it’s your knee, ankle, hip, wrist, or a fracture, we’re here to help you move freely again!