In the world today we are aging. So-called baby boomers are a large portion of the population. When you think about that, hip replacement is not such a far off idea. Think of football today for instance, and then think of football fifty years ago. The protection equipment is far better today. The people who played football fifty years ago were less protected, and therefore probably have many more lasting injuries. Also, as we age, our bones grow weaker. Arthritis is another robber of healthy hips and probably the number one reason that people get hip replacement surgery.

Total hip replacement or hemi replacement (half) is a surgical procedure that is being used more and more. It is the most common orthopedic surgery today. It does, however, have a long history. Hip replacement surgery was being done as long ago as 1891 in Germany.

An American doctor, Austin T. Moore did the first hip replacement at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1940. It was a metal replacement part made of Vitallium, which is a cobalt chrome alloy. A modified surgery casually termed the Austin Moore is still used in rare occasions but was first used in 1952 in Columbia, South Carolina and is considered a later version of Dr. Moore’s 1940 model.

Dr. San Baw was a Burmese orthopedic doctor was the first to use ivory in his hip replacement. He had great success with ivory, it was not expensive at the time and his patients recovered very fast. Most were able to walk, play football and ride a bicycle in just a few weeks. With hip surgery today, the patient can expect to be walking the same day they have the surgery.

The problem with earlier hip replacement parts was that they tended to loosen the joint from the bone which naturally caused pain. Improvements have been made to keep this from happening. Today, hip replacement surgery is usually done using a minimally invasive approach where the surgeon makes a small incision, which reduces the amount of soft tissue damage that would occur in a more invasive procedure.

Some notable people who have had hip replacement surgery are Tom Watson who is a professional golfer, Dale Jarrett and Bobby Labonte who are both professional race car drivers.

Sounds almost like science fiction doesn’t it? Your hip is hurting like crazy, the x-rays show that you have osteoarthritis or that you have had a bad break, time for a hip replacement. You can walk the same day and go home in just a few days.

Some possible complications from hip replacement include dislocation, osteolysis, and metal sensitivity if the replacement parts contain metal, nervy palsy, pain, and leg length inequality. The benefits, however, far outweigh the risks if one suffers with hip pain and is a good candidate for hip replacement. With the advances made in the field of orthopedic surgery, it is safe, has a short recovery time, and provides freedom and mobility to individuals who have previously suffered with chronic pain and loss of movement.

Check out www.OSC-Ortho.com for more information about us and how we are achieving exceptionally high success rates with cutting-edge medical technology.

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