Ready for an alternative to hip replacement?

Far too many patients are at risk of hip replacement. This is because of ineffective rehabilitation protocols that actually worsen mobility and lead to pain. This problem, however, is easily avoided with the right knowledge about hip replacement alternatives in Albuquerque.

Hip replacement surgery isn’t for everyone. In fact, it’s not even recommended as the first line of treatment for many people who have hip pain. If you’re experiencing hip pain, you have a few options of hip replacement alternatives to improve your quality of life.

An explanation of how hip resurfacing surgery works

The hip is a ball and socket joint. The ball is the head of the thigh bone. The socket is the acetabulum, the part of the pelvis where the ball fits.

The surface of the socket is slightly concave so that the ball sits in the socket evenly. The socket and ball are held together by ligaments, tough, fibrous bands that act like springs.

The ligaments are tough, but they are also very strong. If the ligaments are damaged, the hip joint will be extremely painful.

Hip resurfacing surgery replaces the socket with a ceramic or metal shell. The shell is smooth so that it sits in the socket evenly, and the shell is attached by screws.

The screws are stronger than the ligaments. The screws are not strong enough to hold the ball firmly, but the ball is screwed into the shell, and the strong screws hold the ball in place.

When the surgery is done right, the hip joint becomes as solid as a rock. The pain goes away, and the hip is comparable to a normal hip again in strength.

The operation is risky. The acetabulum is a part of the body that is constantly growing, and if the screws are put in too tightly, the acetabulum might start growing around the screws, which would weaken the joint.

There is also a chance that the screws will loosen. Maybe the bond between the acetabulum and the shell is weaker than we thought, or maybe the bone grows around the shell.

When the screws loosen, the joint becomes painful again. The surgery is risky, but for most people, the payoff is worth it.

A comparison of hip replacement and hip resurfacing surgery

The first thing to know about hip replacement surgery is that the operation itself isn't all that simple. The first hip replacements were done more than 50 years ago, but the operation is complicated.

You have to remove the damaged bone and cartilage, and then put the new joint in. The operation today is done using a large incision.

You cut open the front, side, and back of the hip and take out all the damaged parts. Then the surgeon puts the new joint in. The joint is filled with plastic and metal, and the whole thing is covered with a skin flap.

But most people with hip replacements don't need the large incision. Many surgeons have found that they can often replace a hip without cutting open a person's body.

This operation is called hip resurfacing. Like hip replacement itself, hip resurfacing surgery is complicated. But the basic idea is simple.

Instead of cutting away the flesh, the surgeon removes a thin piece of bone and replaces it with a metal cap. The joint is then filled with a metal and plastic spacer.

Hip resurfacing is a complicated operation, but it's expected to be simpler and safer than hip replacement. If it works, hip resurfacing should be safer and cheaper than hip replacement.

Hip resurfacing is still experimental. But doctors are trying it in hospitals around the world. Most of the surgeons doing hip resurfacing are orthopedic surgeons, and many of them specialize in hip surgery.

Hip resurfacing has a lot of work left to do before it is ready for widespread use. First, surgeons will have to find some way to replace the plastic and metal spacer with a material they trust won't wear away.

Then they will have to make sure that the metal and metal spacer fit together securely. The operation itself works, but scientists still have to figure out how to do it.

QC Kinetix (Albuquerque-West)

Complete Address

8521 Golf Course Road NW, Unit 116, Albuquerque, NM, 87114,

Company Phone Number

(505) 226-8688