Are you suffering from Osteoarthritis or Rheumatoid arthritis? Is vigorous pain in your hip region making you uncomfortable? Are you unable to play with your grandchildren due to severe pain in your hips? If the answer to any of these questions is YES, then you can consider total hip replacement as an serious option. This procedure is used with intention of pain relief and a better hip movement. Though it is considered after the physiotherapy and medication fail to offer you comfort.

Today, the total hip replacement is one of the most sought after orthopedic operation. The method of hip replacement consists of replacing both the 'acetabulum' and the femoral head, where other process like 'hemi-arthroplasty' generally replaces only the femoral head , leaving the 'acetabulum' as it is. If we look into the history, we can find that in the year of 1940, the first total hip replacement surgery had happened. It is said that at Johns Hopkins hospital, an American surgeon named Dr. Austin T. Moore first performed the total hip replacement surgery . What he had done was a proximal femoral replacement, with a large fixed metallic head, made of the Cobalt-Chrome alloy called 'Vitallium'. The length of this metallic piece was about a foot and it bolted to the resurrected end of the femoral shaft. it is inserted into the medullary canal of the femur. Though for the long term attachment., it depends on bone growth through a hole in the stem.

Usually, our hip junction functions as a 'ball and socket joint'.The femur bone, the longest bone of our body, fits into acetabulum, a part of our pelvis. The lubricant inside the acetabulum allows the femur to move freely, in ideal cases, rotate for 360 degrees. But as our body gets heavy or the joint gets too much pressure, it starts to cause problem, that leads us to do the total hip replacement.

After you are done with your total hip replacement surgery , you are advised to stay in the hospital for at least 2 to 3 days. You will likely to feel moderate pain for a couple of weeks. While you start walking after the total hip replacement surgery, you may need some medication. You may need some stitches with some protective film , which will eventually get absorbed into the skin tissue. You need to use a v-shaped pillow when you will lay down, which will keep your hip aligned and reduce strain. When your recovery process will begin after the day of or the day after your total hip replacement surgery, a simple walking process is very essential for your quick recovery.

In modern times, Hip resurfacing has emerged as as a surgical alternative to total hip replacement. The procedure consists of placing a hollow and mushroom shaped cobalt-chrome metal cap over the head of the femur while a matching metal cup is placed in the pelvis socket (acetabulum).In this way, it replaces the articulating surfaces of the patient's hip joint. This hip resurfacing procedure requires the removal of very little bone , which makes it more advantageous over the total hip replacement.