Hip replacement vs resurfacing: the pros and cons

How is a hip replacement performed?

Hugh: Patients often ask me whether they should have a hip resurfacing or a hip replacement. And the difference is, in a hip replacement you remove a portion of the worn bone and fix a stem to the bone with a ceramic ball on the end - and that rubs against the socket. That combination, as we know, lasts 25 years for most patients.

What happens in a hip resurfacing procedure?

Hugh: Hip resurfacings were introduced to re-line the bone with metal surfaces that rub together. And whilst they can work well in some patients, in some types of patients they can cause quite a nasty reaction where the metal level builds up in the tissue, damages the tissue and then wrecks the muscle. Patients can then limp and the problem with that is, even if you re-do the resurfacing, they don't get a good result. So I would recommend, for most patients, that they should have a hip replacement rather than a hip resurfacing.

Mr Hugh Apthorp has shared his patient reported outcome data with Compare my Care which reveals he has among the best outcomes for hip replacement surgery in the country.