Hip replacement surgery, also called total hip arthroplasty, involves removing a diseased hip joint and replacing it with an artificial hip joint or prosthesis. Frequently hip replacement is performed when a person’s hip becomes damaged and painful from arthritis. If abnormal biomechanics led to the arthritis, then the surgery must also correct the abnormal hip biomechanics.

Hip replacement surgery is generally performed when limitations and painful symptoms can no longer be controlled with non-operative treatments.

In Total Hip Replacement (THR) surgery, diseased cartilage and bone of the hip joint is surgically replaced with a prosthesis. The prosthesis consists of a ball which is made of metal or ceramic and a metal stem (often titanium), which holds the ball in a precise position. During the surgery, the stem is inserted down the marrow cavity of the femur. The ball is inserted into the new socket, which consists of a liner made of plastic, ceramic or metal and a titanium shell. The shell is placed next to living bone so that bone grows into it.

The materials chosen for these implants have been studied extensively over the years and are used because of their biocompatibility (accepted by your body), resistance to corrosion and mechanical properties. Wonderful recent advances by scientists and implant designers have vastly improved the wear characteristics of implants so they can last in our bodies much longer.