A hip replacement is a surgical procedure in which the hip joint is replaced by a prosthetic implant. Hip replacement surgery can be performed as a total replacement or a hemi (half) replacement.
Such joint replacement orthopaedic surgery generally is conducted to relieve arthritis pain or fix severe physical joint damage as part of hip fracture treatment.
A total hip replacement (total hip arthroplasty) consists of replacing both the acetabulum and the femoral head while hemiarthroplasty generally only replaces the femoral head.
Hip replacement is currently the most successful and reliable orthopaedic operation with 97% of patients reporting improved outcome.
Total hip replacement is most commonly used to treat joint failure caused by osteoarthritis.
Other indications include rheumatoid arthritis, avascular necrosis, traumatic arthritis, protrusio acetabuli, certain hip fractures, benign and malignant bone tumors, arthritis associated with Paget's disease, ankylosing spondylitis and juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.
The aims of the procedure are pain relief and improvement in hip function.
Hip replacement is usually considered only once other therapies, such as physical therapy and pain medications, have failed.
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