Am I a Candidate for a Hip Replacement?

It feels like your world is becoming increasingly smaller thanks to an achy and painful hip, leaving you to wonder whether it’s time to replace your beleaguered joint.

You’re certainly not alone in this. The number of hip replacements in the United States tops half a million each year, and the number is growing thanks to an aging population.

Surgery of any kind is a serious undertaking, so you want to make sure that you’re in the right hands — and we assure you that you are here at Kane Orthopedic Institute. Our namesake director, Dr. Thomas Kane III, has performed over 5,000 total hip replacement procedures and uses the most advanced tissue-sparing techniques.

But that’s the surgery part of the equation, and we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Let’s step back and determine whether you’re a good candidate for the procedure.

What conditions drive people to hip replacement

People turn to hip replacement surgery for several reasons, but the most common is arthritis. There are more than 100 types of arthritis, but the ones that affect the hip joints the most are osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis, and post-traumatic arthritis (premature arthritis in your hip joint due to an old injury).

Beyond arthritis, hip fractures and osteonecrosis (bone death) are also common culprits behind hip damage.

When hip replacement makes good sense

We want to underscore the fact that there’s no definitive checklist for joint replacement surgery, but we do have some great rules of thumb that can help guide you, such as:

Conservative treatments don’t work

If you have tried nonsurgical treatments, such as physical therapy, interventional injections, or lifestyle changes, yet your hip is still painful and stiff, it might be time to get more aggressive with hip replacement surgery.

Often, the reason conservative treatments fall short is because the damage in the hip is too great. For example, your hip OA has reached the point where there's no cartilage left, and it’s just bone-on-bone contact in the joint. Since cartilage doesn’t regenerate, joint replacement is the best option to, literally, move forward.

Your life is limited and sedentary

If you’re having trouble moving around, such as climbing stairs, getting in and out of chairs, and even going for a nice walk, a hip replacement can reopen your world. 

Exercise and movement are also important for your physical and mental wellness, and hip replacement is an excellent way to overcome your sedentary hurdle.

Sleep is hard to come by

Many of our patients find the inability to sleep because of a painful hip a big driver toward hip replacement surgery.

There are times when hip replacement isn’t as elective as we’re making it out to be — if the bone in your hip loses blood supply and starts to die off, hip replacement becomes more of an imperative.

Hip replacement — a decision only you can make

Since hip replacement surgery is usually a decision only you can make, we want to ensure you’re comfortable with it. As we’ve mentioned, should you opt for this joint replacement approach, you’re in excellent hands with Dr. Kane.

We also want to point to a study from 2016 that found that 90% of participants who had a hip replacement were rewarded with clinically significant improvements in pain and functionality.

Our experiences mirror these excellent results, and our patients are thrilled to have their quality of life restored thanks to a “new” hip.

The best way to determine whether you’re a good candidate for hip replacement is to make an appointment with Dr. Kane to review your situation. To get started, call us at 808-202-2794 or request an appointment by clicking here.