Hip Replacement

The most common reason to have hip replacement surgery is to relieve severe arthritis pain that is limiting your activities.

Most of the time, hip joint replacement is done in people age 60 and older, but many people who have this surgery are younger. Younger people who have a hip replaced may put extra stress on the artificial hip. That extra stress can cause it to wear out earlier than in older patients. Part or all of the joint may need to be replaced again if that happens.

Your doctor may recommend a hip replacement for these problems:

• You can’t sleep through the night because of hip pain.
• Your hip pain has not gotten better with other treatments.
• Hip pain limits or prevents you from doing your normal activities, such as bathing, preparing meals, doing household chores, and walking.
• You have problems walking that require you to use a cane or walker.

Other reasons for replacing the hip joint are:

• Fractures in the thigh bone. Older adults often have a hip replacement for this reason.
• Hip joint tumors