Hip Replacement: What to Expect & How to Prepare

Hip replacement surgery, or hip arthroplasty, is a surgical procedure in which an orthopaedic surgeon removes the diseased parts of the hip joint and replaces them with new, artificial parts. These artificial parts mimic the function of the normal hip joint. You may need hip replacement surgery if you have a disease, such as: Arthritis, including osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis . Osteonecrosis , which happens when parts of a bone die due to decreased blood supply. You may also need hip replacement surgery if you fracture (break) your hip from an injury, such as a fall, or from a bone disease. The hip joint is a ball and socket joint and is one of the largest joints in the body. The upper end of the femur (thigh bone) meets the pelvis to create the joint. The “ball” at the end of the femur is called the femoral head and fits into the “socket” (the acetabulum) in the pelvis. The goals of hip replacement surgery include: Relieve pain from the damaged or diseased hip joint. Improve the function of the hip joint. Increase mobility. During a hip replacement, the surgeon makes an incision over the thigh and removes the diseased or damaged bone and cartilage from the hip joint. Next, the surgeon replaces the head of the femur and acetabulum with new, artificial parts. Surgeons have learned how to perform hip replacement with smaller incisions over time to limit the amount of trauma to the soft tissues. The main parts of most hip replacements that fit against the bone, the socket, and the stem are made of metal. The joint surface (called the bearing surface) may be made of metal, ceramic, or plastic. Your surgeon may use a combination of artificial pieces to replace the hip joint. For example: Metal ball with a plastic socket lining. Ceramic ball with a plastic socket lining. Ceramic ball with a ceramic socket or lining. Because of complications that may develop, surgeons rarely use metal-on-metal artificial bearing surfaces. In addition, the surgeon will choose pieces that attach differently to the remaining bone, including: Cemented replacements, which fasten artificial parts to healthy bone with a special glue or cement. Uncemented replacements, which use artificial parts with a porous surface or other type of surface. This allows bone to grow into the pores to hold the new parts in place. Because it takes some time for the natural bone to grow and attach to the prosthesis, your activity may be limited for several months after surgery. Hybrid replacements, which use a cemented femur part and uncemented acetabular part.