BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis of the hip is a painful condition that afflicts 10 million Americans, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

It takes place when cartilage, the covering on the ends of bones of the hip joint, wears away. This causes the ball and socket that form your hip joint to rub directly against each other -- bone-on-bone -- causing pain during movement.

Often, the best treatment for severe hip osteoarthritis is hip replacement surgery.

During the surgery, the head of the thighbone, or the femur, is removed and replaced with an artificial head. A cup is also placed into the hip socket to replace the worn out cartilage.

Hip replacement surgery is becoming increasingly common. Mayo Clinic says 193,000 total hip replacement surgeries are performed nationwide every year, and research shows the procedure has an overall success rate of more than 90 percent.

As the population ages, hip replacements are being performed on patients that are increasingly older, but a recent study at Duke University Medical Center shows the procedure is just as successful for those in their 80s and 90s as for those in their 60s.

A YOUNGER GENERATION OF WORN-OUT HIPS: More recently, people have started needing the procedure at a younger age.

Researchers don't completely understand why this is. "Everybody thinks you're 80 when you need a hip replacement, but really, the average age is low 60s," Donald Knapke, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Mich., said.

Dr. Knapke said he also performs hip replacements on patients in their 40s every week.

The joint surfaces of artificial hips start to wear away after 15 to 20 years, so as patients get younger, second surgeries to replace artificial hips are becoming more common. These surgeries, called revision surgeries, are much more difficult than first-time hip replacements, according to the National Institutes of Health. In addition, outcomes are not as favorable.

A newer procedure called hip resurfacing addresses this problem by delaying a person's need for a total hip replacement. It offers relief from osteoarthritis without a complete replacement of the head of the femur. Instead, the femoral head's surface is reshaped and fitted with a rounded cap. A metal cup is also placed inside the hip socket.

Hip resurfacing is usually recommended for younger, more active patients who might wear out a traditional artificial hip within their lifetime.

A recent study shows hip resurfacing may not be as effective in women or older men. After reviewing over 500 hip resurfacing procedures performed in the United States, researchers at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago found most serious complications after the surgery occurred in women of all ages and men over 55. The most serious complication that occurred was fracturing the area of the femur just below its head.

IMPROVING IMPLANTS: To lengthen the life of hip implants, researchers at Beaumont Hospital in Troy, Mich., are studying hip implants in their hip simulator lab.

The lab has 12 stations that test hip implants by putting them through conditions similar to those the human body would experience.

Researchers can determine how well a replacement will work over a lifetime after observing it for just a few months. The lab plans to contract with replacement companies to evaluate their joint replacement products. Researchers in the Beaumont lab are also looking into why certain joint replacement parts have failed so improvements can be made to them in the future.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Brian Bierley, Public Relations
Beaumont Hospitals
(248) 551-0740
bbierley@beaumonthospitals.com
https://www.beaumonthospitals.com