Hip and Knee Questions and Answers.
Edited By: Seth S. Leopold, M.D.
Last updated Wednesday, February 09, 2005
Total hip replacement in younger people
The decision to get a hip replacement at any age is a quality of
life choice, which is made by trying to balance the potential
improvement one might get from hip replacement (in terms of decreased
pain or restoration of function) against the risks of the procedure.
There are certain "generic" risks of hip replacement for patients of
any age--infection, bleeding, nerve injury, blood clots, hip
dislocations, leg length inequality, persistent pain are a few of these
(sounds like lots of risks, but usually the actual likelihood of each
of those is quite low). But in the case of someone younger than age 50
or so who is otherwise in good health, one needs to add at least one
additional risk: there is a near-certainty of needing a re-operation
(perhaps multiple re-operations) on the hips at some time(s) in one's
lifetime. Hip replacements are fairly reliable over the first decade
(most research shows that 90% of hip replacements remain in service 10
years after surgery), but there is not expectation, for example, that
they will last the 30-40 years or more that a 40-year-old patient might
live. And with each subsequent re-operation, the risk of major surgical
complications increases.
In general, I tell young patients with severe arthritis to try to
put up with it as long as they can, and when they are no longer able to
manage, to go ahead with surgery--in full understanding of the risks I
mentioned above, in particular the very high likelihood of needing more
surgery on the affected hip.
This is a very serious, and very personal, decision. It is a
decision best made in concert with a surgeon who specializes in joint
replacement, who will be able to get to know you well, examine you, and
interpret your X-rays. for more information on hip replacement surgery,
please visit the article, "What is Hip Replacement? A Review of Total Hip Arthroplasty, Hip Resurfacing, and Minimally-Invasive Hip Surgery". Surgery for Hip and Knee at the University of Washington If you are interested in making an appointment to discuss this procedure, you can request an appointment using our online referrals website. To request a referral online, please click here. You can also call the Bone & Joint Surgery Center at 206-598-3354 or Eastside Specialty Clinic at 425-646-7777 to make an appointment.
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