The Basics of Total Hip Replacement Surgery
A total hip replacement replaces your arthritic hip joint and eliminates the damaged bearing surfaces that are causing you pain. The design of the implant offers you renewed stability and minimizes the wear process. Overall there are three benefits to your hip replacement:
- Elimination of pain
- Improved motion
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Minimum wear and tear
During a total hip replacement procedure a metal stem is inserted into your thighbone (femur). Attached to the neck of the stem is a hip ball, just over an inch in diameter. The hip ball fits into a liner. Together, the ball and liner create the new joint. The liner is inserted into a metal shell that in turn is anchored to your pelvis. In terms of fixation, your surgeon has the choice of anchoring the hip implants securely to bone using either cement fixation or fixation by 'bone ingrowth'. Your surgeon will select the design of the hip replacement and size of femoral ball to give you the range of motion and stability that you need to function.
Hip pain is usually associated with the need for surgery. Before you have pain in your hip it would be wise to pick up Health Insurance for Houston or any other city in Texas.
Your body has to cope with any wear debris that is released when you use your hip implant, unlike your car engine that has special filters to remove the wear products. The standard metal ball and polyethylene cup have been in use for over 40 years. In younger, more active patients, there is a propensity for the metal ball to become scratched. Scientific studies indicate the use of improved polyethylene liners, called ‘highly crosslinked’ bearings, result in overall decreased wear of the implant.
If you are a very active individual or a relatively young patient, your surgeon may prescribe an all-ceramic hip joint. Such all-ceramic hip joints have been used in Europe for over 30 years but have only recently received the FDA’s approval for marketing in the United States.
In these hip joints the traditional metal ball and polyethylene liner are replaced by a high-strength ceramic bearing that has the reputation for ultra low wear performance. Clinical studies, monitored by the FDA and begun in 1998, have demonstrated excellent performance.
Choices of Hip Replacement Implant Material
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