| Until now the traditional treatment of a total
hip replacement, though very successful in the
elderly, did not offer a good long term outcome
for young active patients because of its
functional constraints.
Ordinarily patients may require a hip
replacement when cartilage within the joint is
lost and the bones become swollen and painful
through their constant rubbing together.
The traditional hip replacement operation
involves an incision into the thigh to insert an
implant comprising of a plastic cup and metal
stem. The new procedure works by surgeons removing
the diseased cartilage from the joint and
replacing it with a new lining, comprising of a
metal head and cup-like implant which prevents the
bones from rubbing painfully against one another.
In effect they resurface the bones in the joint
rather than replacing them.
The decision to perform a hip resurfacing
operation against the traditional replacement is
not solely determined by age, but is dependent on
the patient’s level of activity and expectations.
However because younger patients are generally
more active it is therefore more popular amongst
them.
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