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The Hip Joint

The hip is a ball-and-socket joint where the head of the femur (Thigh bone) articulates
with the cuplike acetabulum of the pelvic bone. The acetabulum fits tightly around the
head of the femur. The ball is normally held in the socket by very powerful ligaments
that form a complete sleeve around the joint (the joint capsule). The capsule has a
delicate lining (the synovium ). The head of the femur is covered with a layer of smooth cartilage which is a fairly soft, white substance. The socket is also lined with cartilage.
This cartilage cushions the joint, and allows the bones to move on each other with very
little friction.

An x-ray of the hip joint usually shows a "space" between the ball and the socket
because the cartilage does not show up on x-rays. In the normal hip this "joint space"
is approximately 1/4 inch wide and fairly even in outline.

Click on the desired topic below to find out more.

Hip anatomy :: Arthritis of the Hip Joint :: Total Hip Replacement (THR)
Hip Resurfacing :: Revision Hip Replacement :: Minimally invasive surgery

Normal anatomy of the Hip joint

Find out more in this web based movie.

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Arthritis of the Hip joint

The term arthritis literally means inflammation of a joint, but is generally used to describe any
condition in which there is damage to the cartilage.

Click here to go to the section on arthritis.

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Total Hip Replacement (THR)

Total Hip Replacement (THR) procedure replaces all or part of the hip joint with an artificial device (prosthesis) to restore joint movement. Find out more about the Total Hip Replacement from the following options.

Find out more about Total Hip Replacement from the following links.

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Hip Resurfacing

Hip Resurfacing or bone conserving procedure replaces the acetabulum (hip socket) and resurfaces the femoral head. This means the femoral head has some or very little bone removed and replaced with the metal component. This spares the femoral canal. Find out more about Hip Resurfacing from the following options.

Find out more about Hip Resurfacing from the following links.

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Revision Hip Replacement.

This means that part or all of your previous hip replacement needs to be revised. This operation varies from very minor adjustments to massive operations replacing significant amounts of bone and hence is difficult to describe in full.

Find out more about Revision Hip Replacement from the following links.

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Minimally Invasive Surgery

Total Hip Replacement THR and Total Knee Replacement THR are very successful
surgical treatment for arthritis of the hip and knee respectively.

Over the years hip replacement surgery can be done through much smaller incisions
than the usual twenty-five to thirty centimeter incision that most surgeons use.

The advantages of Minimally Invasive Surgery:

• Less tissue trauma – muscles and tendons are avoided or separated, not cut
• Faster and less painful rehabilitation
• Smaller incisions and less scarring – two incisions of 1½ to 2 inches each, rather
  than one 10- to 12-inch incision
• Shorter hospital stay – 1-2 days (vs. 3-5 days); some patients go home in less
  than 24 hours
• Reduced blood loss and less need for pre-surgery blood donation
• Faster return to work and daily activities

To find out more about Birmingham MIS, click on the following

Birmingham MIS- Hip	Birmingham MIS- Knee

	Web www.orthopaedics.com