Hip replacement surgery

YOUR NEW HIP
Technical advances have given us new materials to replace your problem hip with a prosthesis (artificial hip joint). Like your own hip, your prosthesis is made up of a ball and socket that fit together to form a joint. We will choose the best prosthetic design for you after carefully diagnosing your particular hip problem.

WHEN WALKING HURTS As hip pain and stiffness increase, you may find more and more things you cannot do. Simply walking or getting up from a chair can hurt. Hip pain and stiffness from osteoarthritis (the breakdown of cartilage in your joints), make your hip bones grate painfully together. Other hip problems include rheumatoid arthritis, injury, and loss of blood supply to the bones of your hip.

YOUR HIP ANATOMY Your hip is a simple ball-and-socket joint where your thigh bone joins with your pelvis. Surrounded by cartilage, muscles and ligaments, your hip is one of your largest weight-bearing joints. Smooth cartilage and bone help you to walk easily without pain.

YOUR HIP PROSTHESIS Your hip prosthesis (cemented or cementless) has the same basic parts as your own hip. A ball, often metal, replaces the worn head of your thigh bone, with a stem inserted into the bone for stability. A cup (plastic or metal) replaces your worn socket. Like a healthy hip, your prosthesis has smooth gliding surfaces that allow you to move easily and without pain. Unlike a healthy hip however, your prosthesis has a limited safe range of motion, and will need your special care after surgery.