Dr. Duff offers hip resurfacing as a bone-preserving alternative to total hip replacement — ideal for select younger patients seeking to maintain high levels of activity.
Hip resurfacing is a form of hip replacement which involves lining the acetabular cup with a metal socket and capping the femoral head ball with a metal surface.
This traditionally gives a metal on metal bearing surface. Very recently, ceramic on ceramic resurfacing has been investigated and is being implanted with limited follow up available to date.
Hip resurfacing is ideal for some patients but not suitable for everyone. Find out if this procedure is right for you.
Hip resurfacings are generally for younger patients with hip arthritis. They are limited in their application because patients who develop arthritis early in life often have an anatomical reason that cannot be corrected with a resurfacing in the same way a replacement can. Metal hip resurfacings have had successful outcomes on Australian joint registry on the two most popular models for some time.
However, metal on metal articulation remains controversial with some risks of developing metal reactions. This has led to investigation of other bearing surfaces in hip resurfacing with a newly developed ceramic model in its infancy of implantation.
Hip resurfacing is designed for younger patients who demand the increased activity that it can provide.However, many of these will have dysplastic hips or shallow hip sockets which would pose anatomical issues to a hip resurfacing being implanted.
Women and patients with small anatomy have not been able to have metal on metal resurfacing due to their smaller hip sizes. This limitation may change with ceramic models.
Hip resurfacing has the potential for more active activities such as running, jumping and impact sports. The hard on hard bearing surface has the potential for increased longevity with these higher impact sports.
Most patients will benefit from a traditional total hip replacement, but there are some patients who may benefit from a resurfacing.
Wondering if hip resurfacing Is right for you? Schedule a consultation with Dr. Duff to assess your hip condition and determine whether resurfacing is a suitable option.
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