In some countries with universal or nationalized health care, a joint replacement is considered an elective procedure. That means the person chooses to have the operation but it's not an emergency procedure. So despite pain and loss of motion or function, that individual must wait in a queue (line) until the resources are available to them. This could take weeks to months. In the meantime, they are advised to stay active. What's the best way to do that?

A larger femoral head size has been shown to reduce hip dislocations and minimize instability. There are several reasons why they work. First, they provide a larger surface area in contact with the acetabular cup (socket).

Second, a larger head gives a better ratio of size from the head of the femur to the neck. That's important in allowing a larger arc of motion and preventing impingement or pinching of the femoral neck against the rim of the cup.

Dislocation is every patient's fear after getting a new hip replacement. The surgeons call it instability. No matter what name you give it, the problem is troublesome for the patient and a complex challenge for the surgeon.

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty is a type of hip replacement that replaces the arthritic surface of the joint but removes far less bone than the traditional total hip replacement. Because the hip resurfacing removes less bone, it may be preferable for younger patients that are expected to need a second, or revision, hip replacement surgery as they grow older and wear out the original artificial hip replacement.

You raise some very good questions that deserve consideration. Researchers are applying themselves diligently to answering the risk-to-benefit ratio for many improvements in the health-care delivery system. Computer-assisted technology is one of them.

In the short time since hip replacements were first introduced, the procedure has changed and improved in many ways. One of those developments has been the hip resurfacing arthroplasty. Hip resurfacing arthroplasty is a type of hip replacement that replaces the arthritic surface of the joint but removes far less bone than the traditional total hip replacement.

What's every patient's fear after getting a new hip replacement? Dislocation. The surgeons call it instability. No matter what name you give it, the problem is troublesome for the patient and a complex challenge for the surgeon. In this review article, surgeons from the Shiley Center for Orthopaedic Research and Education in California offer surgeons insight into understanding what can cause this to happen and what to do about it.

More adults than ever before are having their first hip replacement. And more of those are being done at a younger age. If patients outlive the life of their implant, then revision surgery is needed. Or if there are complications from the first surgery, a revision replacement might be needed.

Patients and surgeons are both interested in a speedy, painless recovery from surgery after a total hip replacement. To reach that goal, surgeons have introduced something called a minimally-invasive surgery (MIS).

You're not alone in your concern about form over function. Even if the minimally-invasive approach doesn't yield better functional outcomes, patients like how it looks. A shorter incision just looks better, and patients are asking for that. Patients also want an implant that will last as long as possible. And that factor is more important to them than the length of the scar or how long they are in the hospital.