How a hip replacement is done - Hip replacement

You may be able to choose the type of anaesthetic you're given before hip replacement surgery.

There are 2 options:

• general anaesthetic - you're asleep during the surgery
• spinal or epidural anaesthesia - your lower body is numbed through an injection into your spine

Spinal or epidural anaesthesia is usually combined with sedation. This will make you feel relaxed and you may not remember the surgery.

Your surgeon may recommend an epidural if you have an existing health condition. This is because an epidural is less likely to cause complications.

During the surgery

After you get the anesthetic, your surgeon will make a cut above your hip. They will remove the ball on the upper part of your thigh bone and deepen your old hip socket. They will put in an artificial cup that will be your new hip socket.

A metal stem with a smooth ball is placed in the new hip socket. All the new parts can be pressed into place or secured to the bone using a special type of cement (cemented).

This surgery usually takes 60 to 90 minutes.

Metal-on-metal hip resurfacing is done in a similar way. The main difference is that less of your femur (thigh bone) is removed. Only the joint surfaces are replaced with metal inserts.

Materials for your implant

There are different types of prosthetic hip implants.

Most prosthetic parts are made with plastic, metal, ceramic or a combination of these. Your surgeon will tell you the type they think would suit you best.

The different parts of your implant can be:

• cemented - secured to healthy bone using acrylic cement
• uncemented - the parts are made from material that has a rough surface which allows your bone to grow on it and hold it in place

Metal-on-metal hip replacements may cause complications. Your surgeon will also be able to discuss any concerns you have about them.

Minimally invasive hip replacement

In a traditional hip replacement, a large cut of 20cm to 30cm is made in the skin above your hip.

Minimally invasive hip replacement uses a smaller cut of around 10cm. Then specially designed tools are used to do the surgery.

Minimally invasive hip replacement is as safe and effective as traditional hip replacement surgery. It also causes less pain after surgery.

This type of specialised surgery is not widely available. You may have to wait much longer for this treatment.

Hip resurfacing

Hip resurfacing surgery is not the same as a hip replacement. Hip resurfacing is where the damaged surfaces of the bones inside the hip joint are removed and replaced with a metal surface.

This type of surgery removes less bone than in hip replacement.

This surgery may not be suitable for:

• someone age 65 or older - your bones tend to weaken as you get older
• women who've been through menopause - your bones can become weak and brittle (osteoporosis)

Hip resurfacing is not a popular surgery. The metal surface may damage soft tissues around your hip.