Total Hip Replacement

Total hip replacement surgery can be very successful in treating the symptoms of arthritis. The hip joint is a ball-and-socket joint that has two surfaces that glide against one another:

• 1–the ball (femoral head) and
• 2–the socket (acetabulum of the pelvis)

When the smooth cartilage caps of the two surfaces are so worn out that the bony ends grind together, the result is pain and stiffness.

Pain-free motion can be restored to the hip by replacing the worn out ball-and-socket with man-made materials, very similar to putting a crown on a damaged tooth.  These materials can include various metal alloys, ceramics and highly specialized polymers.  The choice of materials depends on optimizing the underlying deformity, the patient's physiology, and the patient's level of activity.