Hip
The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, as can be seen in the x-ray. It has a large range of
movement, making it very important in mobility and posture generally.
Healthy hip joint
Pain from an arthritic hip joint is commonly felt in the groin, whereas, referred back pain can present over the buttock region. It is sometimes possible to experience pain in both these areas, due to the altered hip joint function putting more strain on the back.Referred back pain will not be improved by hip surgery, therefore, thorough assessment and diagnosis is needed to ascertain that the hip is the cause of the problem and not the back.
When a hip becomes arthritic, the pain is initially intermittent. As the arthritis worsens and the function of the hip joint deteriorates, the pain will then become more continuous.
Treatment is, initially conservative (non-surgical) via the use of painkillers and antiinflammatory drugs, Physiotherapy and walking aids. When these methods are no longer effective, surgery may be indicated, which will involve a total hip replacement (THR). Due to the lifespan of a THR, surgery is best delayed until the age of at least 65, otherwise, the hip may need replacing again.
Origins of the hip replacement
The father of the THR is Sir John Charnley. The Charnley total hip replacement, which he developed, remains the gold standard of primary hip replacement, 38 years after its initial development.
Mr. Kumar has written and published the following articles on hip surgery:
“Extended Ilio-femoral approach in Total Hip Arthroplasty for Congenital Dislocation of
the Hip with severe displacement”. Published in the Journal of International
Orthopaedics (SICOT);(1997)21 :265-266
Subsidence of the Charnley Femoral Stem - a comparative study examining the effect of component design and cement techniques on the extent of subsidence. Thesis submitted for M. Sc. Orthopaedic Bioengineering.