Surgical Hip Replacements - Improving Quality Of Life

The hip joint, like all other body parts, is subjected to daily stress and strain of activities. In due course of time and due to changing physiology, the hips may get diseased or damaged. The dysfunctional hip joint hinders movement and makes activities difficult. Even simply walking across a room may generate a lot of pain. This significantly influences the quality of life. The affected person becomes dependent as his activities are restricted. Orthopedic surgeons may prescribe analgesics for temporary relief of pain but after some time, these medications may become ineffective. In such cases, surgical hip replacements are the only option left.

The hip implant when introduced was traditionally made of plastic-on-metal. These implants were devised for old age people, preferably with sedentary lifestyle. The wear rate of traditional implants is high, which may cause loosening of implants. The wear debris is capable of evoking an immune response that contributes to implant failure. To overcome the drawbacks of the traditional hip implants, many new material combinations are tried to increase the life of the surgical hip replacement.

The Ceramic-on-ceramic implant is the result of untiring research of seven years. The alumina ceramic bearings provide a remarkably lesser amount of wear and tear, thereby increasing the life of the implant. A titanium sleeve adds on to the strength of the hips. The surgical procedure of hip replacement with ceramic implants can be used for young and active patients, due to its longevity. With ceramic implants the need of revision surgery may altogether be obsolete. The hip replacement surgeries involving ceramic implants are costlier but are worth paying.