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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Patient Handouts

Summary

Hip replacement is surgery for people with severe hip damage. The most common cause of damage is osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis causes pain, swelling, and reduced motion in your joints. It can interfere with your daily activities. If other treatments such as physical therapy, pain medicines, and exercise haven't helped, hip replacement surgery might be an option for you.

During a hip replacement operation, the surgeon removes damaged cartilage and bone from your hip joint and replaces them with new, man-made parts.

A hip replacement can:

• Relieve pain
• Help your hip joint work better
• Improve walking and other movements

The most common problem after surgery is hip dislocation. Because a man-made hip is smaller than the original joint, the ball can come out of its socket. The surgery can also cause blood clots and infections. With a hip replacement, you might need to avoid certain activities, such as jogging and high-impact sports.

NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases

Start Here

• Hip Replacement Surgery (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Preparing for and Recovering After Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality)
• Total Hip Replacement (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Living With

• Hip Rehabilitation Exercises (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Related Issues

• Deep Vein Thrombosis (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Fracture after Total Hip Replacement (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Specifics

• General Information about Hip Implants (Food and Drug Administration)
• Metal-on-Metal Hip Implants: Information for Patients (Food and Drug Administration)

Images

• Hip joint replacement - series -- Normal anatomy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Preventing Blood Clots After Orthopaedic Surgery (American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Arthroplasty (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hip Replacement (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Clinically relevant differences in stress shielding between two short-stemmed femoral prostheses.
• Article: Quick pathway for patients with high pRobability of dislocatEd hemiarthroplasty or...
• Article: Preoperative carbohydrate loading as part of an enhanced recovery after surgery...
• Hip Replacement -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Find a Doctor in American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons)
• Find a Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Physician (American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
• National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

• Deciding to have knee or hip replacement (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Getting your home ready - knee or hip surgery (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hip arthroscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hip joint replacement (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hip or knee replacement - after - what to ask your doctor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Hip replacement - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Minimally invasive hip replacement (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Taking care of your new hip joint (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish