A Hip, New Treatment Option for Baby Boomers

One of the newest advancements in treating osteoarthritis of the hip is hip resurfacing. Surgeons with Summit Orthopedics are now trained in this procedure.

Drs. Peter Daly, Jack Drogt and Daniel Hoeffel are all orthopedic surgeons who specialize in joint replacement surgery and treating osteoarthritis. In December, they traveled to Montreal, Canada to train in the hip resurfacing procedure.

Hip resurfacing is a type of hip replacement for younger, more active patients. It involves removal of only a few millimeters of bone from the surface of the ball (femoral head) and socket (acetabulum), thereby preserving as much normal bone as possible during the procedure. It is an option to relieve pain and restore mobility that has been in use since the 1970’s, but newer bearing surface improvements (metal on metal) have brought it to the forefront of orthopedics.

Patients may benefit from hip resurfacing in several ways. Benefits include:

1. Preservation of more natural bone. Hip resurfacing entails resurfacing the arthritic surface of the bone rather than removing the joint (cutting off the femoral head).  Retaining the head and neck of the upper femur enhances bone density in the upper thigh, maintains more normal range of motion and has the potential for maintaining leg length equality to a greater degree than traditional hip replacements. 

2. Resuming a more active lifestyle. Hip resurfacing patients are more likely to experience greater stability (less chance for hip dislocation) yet still enjoy more mobility, and possibly resume more strenuous activities than one would consider after traditional hip replacement.

3. Longer duration of artificial hip usage.  Since this is a newer technique, long-term outcome data is not available. However, medium term (five year) results of the implants in British and Australian centers have shown very positive results. Since the implant is bone sparing, if it should fail it can be easily converted to a standard hip replacement using “primary” components instead of requiring “revision” parts that have to make up for bone loss. Therefore, having this procedure available allows surgeons to relieve painful arthritis in patients who were previously told they were too young.

Hip resurfacing does not apply to all those interested. Patients with significant osteoporosis, poor blood supply to the femoral head (osteonecrosis), or those with large bone cysts at the joint surface would not be good candidates. Women of child-bearing age, and those with significantly impaired kidney function would also not be considered appropriate due to the metal bearing surface.