HIP SURGERY

The information outlined below on common conditions and treatments is provided as a guide only and it is not intended to be comprehensive.

Discussion with James is important to answer any questions that you may have. For information about any additional conditions not featured within the site, please contact us for more information.

As the name suggests, hip replacement surgery replaces the worn out hip joint with a prosthetic (artificial) joint. Total hip replacement, although dating back to the 1940’s, was advanced in the UK in the 1950’s and 60’s by Sir John Charnley. Today, over 55,000 total hip replacements are performed in the UK each year. There are now many different types of hip replacement available.

The arthroscope is a fibre-optic telescope that can be inserted into the hip to evaluate and treat a number of conditions. The arthroscope is an excellent means of examining the whole of the hip and many conditions can be treated at the same time. Hip arthroscopy is a developing technique and is only practised by highly specialised orthopaedic surgeons.

Total Hip Replacement (THR) is a very successful treatment for end-stage degeneration of the hip joint; over 55,000 THRs are performed in the UK each year. Despite technological advances and our increased understanding of hip replacement surgery, between 5-10% of hip replacements will fail and require revision within 10 years.

Within the hip joint the head of the femur and the acetabulum (socket) are coated with articular cartilage to permit smooth movement. Around the rim of the acetabulum sits a lip of fibrous cartilage that is triangular in cross-section, called the labrum. The labrum improves the stability of the hip and, along with the joint capsule, helps to ‘seal’ the hip joint.

Hip resculpting is a procedure that has been recently advocated for the treatment of hip impingement. Impingement results either because the femoral head (ball) is not quite spherical or because the acetabulum (socket) is too deep; thus when the hip is flexed fully the neck of the femur is pushed against the labrum and acetabulum at the front of the hip, causing damage to these structures.

Discussion with James is important to answer any questions that you may have. For information about any additional conditions not featured within the site, please contact us for more information.