Hip Resurfacing
Last Update: 7/23/2008 5:54 pm
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We go to Cortland for tonight's "Doctor on Call" question. This viewer writes, I have arthritis in my hip and I'm in my late 40's. My doctor says I should wait until I'm 55 for a full or partial hip replacement. Someone told me there's something called hip resurfacing. What can you find out about it? We called an orthopedic surgeon who says hip resurfacing is a relatively new procedure that's helping younger patients avoid suffering for years until they qualify for a hip replacement. Surgeons reshape the top of the thighbone and cover it with a metal cap that sits inside a thin metal hip socket, blocking painful nerve endings. More bone is left intact than with a replacement which makes future surgeries easier to perform. Studies show 98% of patients had pain relief five years after surgery.
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