Hip Resurfacing Surgery

By Deborah Holmes, PT

Complete Physical Therapy

. http://www.phystherapy.com/

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Hip Resurfacing Surgery

For the last three and a half years Manuel Rosette had been having pain in his lower back. His doctors ordered a low back magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to find that everything appeared normal. His pain persisted and they then ordered a MRI of the pelvic and hip area. The results showed that he did not have any more cartilage between the pelvis and the femur.

The hip joint joins the pelvis to the femur, or thighbone. Your hip is a ball and socket joint. The head of the femur is round in shape and fits nicely into the hip socket. This gives it freedom to move in many directions. The cartilage is what lines the socket and provides cushioning with weight bearing activities. The cartilage in Mr. Rosette's hip had worn away, causing severe arthritis and pain.

Depending on the advancement of the hip arthritis, your doctor may recommend surgery. This is what was encouraged for Mr. Rosette. Like many informed consumers, he sought out second opinions, did his internet research and decided on a consultation with an orthopedic surgeon in Washington, DC. His surgeon recommended hip resurfacing, which he performs on younger, more active patients. The surgeon choses hip resurfacing because it allows the athletic to be athletic and it has a longer life than the conventional hip replacement. Even though this technique was approved in the US in 2006, it has a 14-year tract record in the UK.

Mr. Rosette is a very active dad and coach of his son's soccer team. His goal was to return back to his love of soccer and to return to work in his construction business. Mr. Rosette and his surgeon sat down to thoroughly discuss the surgical procedure and the expected outcomes. One benefit of having this hip procedure is the conservation of more femoral bone. This makes it an option for young, active patients.

Shortly after surgery, the rehabilitation begins. Mr. Rosette's surgeon has the goal to reconstruct a hip that is stable and painless. Physical therapy is high priority. Leg muscles are usually weak before surgery if they have not been fully used for months or years due to pain.