Hip Resurfacing Surgery Procedure

Hip resurfacing is a type of surgery to replace a damaged hip joint.

Hip resurfacing surgery procedure.

Unlike traditional hip replacement hip resurfacing doesn t completely replace the ball of the hip with a metal or ceramic ball. Hip surgery has undergone enormous developments and with hip resurfacing procedure there are many advantages as compared to the traditional full hip replacement procedures. If a hip resurfacing ever fails which is unlikely the surgery to correct it may be as simple as doing the lower half of a primary total hip replacement. A hip resurfacing operation typically lasts from 1 1 2 to 3 hours.

After surgery it usually takes time for a patient to realize maximal improvement. In many cases the muscles and tissues around the hip have been weakened from prolonged disuse before the hip resurfacing procedure. Your surgeon will make an incision in your thigh in order to reach the hip joint. Hip resurfacing is an alternative to standard hip replacement surgery used for the treatment of severe hip arthritis.

Hip resurfacing has been developed as a surgical alternative to total hip replacement thr. The birmingham hip replacement surgery is significantly less invasive. The procedure consists of placing a cap usually made of cobalt chrome metal which is hollow and shaped like a mushroom over the head of the femur while a matching metal cup similar to what is used with a thr is placed in the acetabulum pelvis socket replacing the articulating surfaces of the. Hip resurfacing is not a new surgery.

When there is damage. As these metal surfaces rub together there is the potential for wear and release of metal ions. Your surgeon will also see you before surgery and sign your hip to verify the surgical site. We take measures to prevent this using either an anti inflammatory medication or one dose of radiation to the hip area after surgery.

This is a great alternative for physically active patients. As such the hip resurfacing procedure may lead to extra bone forming around the hip leading to stiffness called heterotopic ossification. Ease of revision one of the main advantages of hip resurfacing is the preservation of the femoral neck and femoral canal thus leaving the option open for a total hip. Instead the bone is reshaped and capped with a metal prosthesis.

Importantly hip resurfacing needn t be looked at as a temporary procedure inevitably leading to hip replacement down the road. Birmingham hip resurfacing procedure. Hip resurfacing can improve the mechanics of the hip but cannot make the joint as good as it was before the onset of arthritis. During a birmingham hip resurfacing procedure the orthopedic surgeon will only replace the portion of the joint that is damaged instead of replacing the entire hip joint.

Normally the socket is lined with cartilage which helps the bones move smoothly. The radiation treatment known as xrt external radiation therapy is. In the hip joint the rounded head of the thighbone the femoral head moves smoothly inside the round socket of the hip bone. However recent changes in hip resurfacing implant design have led to a new interest in this procedure.