Birmingham Hip Resurfacing

Because we bear a lot of our body weight on our hips, hip pain can often feel debilitating. It’s common for young, active men and women who play sports or run often to feel hip pain caused by degenerative joint diseases like osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, traumatic arthritis, dysplasia, or inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. Hip pain can also be caused by overuse of the hip joint or by an injury during contact sports.

Traditionally, treatment of this type of bone degeneration is a full hip replacement. A traditional hip replacement involves the complete removal of the femoral head and damaged tissues within the socket. However, the expert orthopedic surgeons at Springfield Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Institute use cutting-edge techniques to provide patients with a less severe surgical option called Birmingham hip resurfacing.

Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery is most often recommended to young and active patients, as more bone is preserved throughout the surgical process. Rather than removing the entire femoral head and most of the tissues within the socket, only damaged tissues on the surfaces of each joint are removed to conserve as much bone as possible.

Hip Resurfacing Treatment

A traditional hip replacement requires the removal of the femoral head and its inserting joint. Birmingham hip resurfacing, on the other hand, preserves the femoral head by simply shaving a few centimeters of bone off the surface. The bone is shaped and fitted into a metal cap that sits tightly in a metal cup implant and restores the ball-and-socket joint. This technique of resurfacing the head of the femur allows young, active patients to avoid a traditional hip replacement altogether.

Benefits of Birmingham hip resurfacing include:

Preservation of more bone than traditional hip replacement surgery
Restoration of mobility in the hip
Pain relief associated with damaged bone and cartilage
Enhancement of quality of life

The Hip Resurfacing Implant

Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery is a cutting-edge procedure that allows young patients to preserve as much of the femur bone as possible while preventing further complications. This procedure involves the use of metal implants that protect the ball-and-socket joint of the hip. These implants were first approved by the FDA in 2006 and have been widely used for this treatment since.

Birmingham hip resurfacing implants come in two parts: a metal cap that covers the surface of the femoral head, and an acetabular component or metal cup that sits in the socket.

Enhance Your Quality of Life

Hip resurfacing surgery is most commonly recommended to young, active patients whose condition is not severe enough to call for a complete hip replacement. If you’re unsure whether Birmingham hip resurfacing surgery is right for you, we encourage you to schedule a private consultation with one of our skilled providers. They’ll be happy to sit down with you, listen to your concerns, assess your condition, and develop a tailored treatment plan to help you get back to your pre-injury condition.