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Hip Replacement Surgery

By Holly Ames

A newer version of hip replacement is making this surgery an option for younger, more active patients. Hip Replacement Surgery

Published: Fri, October 12, 2007 - 11:14 am Last Updated: Fri, October 12, 2007 - 3:01 pm

Hip problems can certainly put a stop to an active lifestyle. For years hip replacement surgery has been reserved for folks in their golden years. That meant, in some cases, younger patients with hip problems were just out of luck.

56 year old Rick Hoadley is a 7th degree black belt and the chief instructor for inner strength martial arts. Last year, after decades of high intensity activity, he began to see his performance deteriorate because of pain in is left hip. Even the simplest tasks became a challenge. He was on crutches for almost a year. Then he learned about a newer version of hip replacement from Dr. William Bose.

Dr. Bose says hip replacements have been available in plastic for years, but now there are some made with metal. They last much longer. Dr. Bose replaced Rick's hip on June 5th. Dr. Bose describes this metal on metal version, "This will have much less wear. We expect them to last longer for selected patients and not have the problems that plastic would cause."

Because it lasts longer, an option once reserved for patients 65 and older is now available for younger patients like Rick. A larger head on the implant also means patients can lead a more active lifestyle. Dr. Bose says, "because of that the patients have a greater range of motion, a more natural range of motion and they have a higher safety factor. The hip is less likely to come out of the socket."

The surgery has changed Rick Hoadley's life. "The big deal is that I don't have excruciating pain that I had. That is probably one of the biggest positive changes that I have in my life."

While Dr. Bose discourages running and jumping with his new hip, he is steadily working to rebuild his strength. Rick says his only regret is that he didn't have his hip replaced sooner. "The delay is probably more damaging than the actually surgery and I think this is one of the areas where modern medicine can be miraculous. I'm in then process of healing. I think it's going to take a long time to get back to square one, but I'm just grateful for the opportunity that has been given me and thank God they were so kind to help me.

Dr. Bose says in addition to the newer version of hip replacement, surgical techniques have also improved. Surgical incision have gone from 8 to 10 inches to 3 or 4. He says there is also no muscle cutting involved. It all means less pain for the patient, fewer days in the hospital and a quicker recovery time.