I have been nursing a bad right hip for more than twenty years now, and I'm getting close to having it replaced.
You can google and find the main technologies: metal on metal, plastic and metal, and ceramic.
It's my understanding that if you are involved in an accident with a ceramic ball, you're hosed if the ceramic shatters. You have a lot of painful debris in the joint that is nearly impossible to completely remove.
I was seriously considering hip replacement about ten years ago, and the doctors were pushing metal on metal. I know you've probably seen all of the legal ads looking for people who want to sue for metal on metal hip replacements. I believe the problem with metal on metal is that wear between the two components puts tiny heavy metal particles into the blood stream, which can cause various problems such as cancer, congestive heart failure, and liver and kidney damage.
The plastic on metal hips have been around for a long time. The problem with those is the plastic wears, and the body's immune system attacks the plastic, and can damage the bone around the femur insert.
There are a number of new replacement procedures that have reduced the recovery time from a hip replacement significantly. One of the guys I work with had a hip replaced at Duke Hospital, and was out only about five weeks. You definitely want to find a doctor that has performed a lot of hip replacements and is aware of the new techniques.
Some of this information is probably eight to ten years old, and there may be newer information available. I'll be 57 soon, and I'm glad I waited.
Mike
|