Originally posted by: waggy
i have had one doc tell me i should get it done. another says yeah but to put it off as long as i can. since im only 33 he really thinks it would be a mistake and damage the quality of life i have latter.
there are replacments out now that are sopposed to last 20-30 years.
The surgeon told me the parts now are expected to last 20 - 39 years.
What they need to replace, at least with the current prosthetics out there, are the cup and the ball. They do not necessarily have to replace the shaft that The surgeon told me the parts now are expected to last 20 - 39 years.
What they need to replace, at least with the current prosthetics out there, are the cup and the ball. They do not necessarily have to replace the shaft that goes into the femur nor the out titanium fitting that gets shoved into the acetabelum. It is my understanding that those 2 main parts can only be replaces a few times, but the ball and the cup that fits into the acetabular fitting can be replaced as many times as needed.
My concern is basically what type of equipment to look at. This is a bit more serious than picking out a video card (well at least it is for me). Metal on metal seems like a massively bad idea so I am not going with that. I work with a guy who had his hip done at the age of 35 - who is also rather athletic and is still so after his replacement - and he has ceramic on ceramic. The downside is that when he does certain movements you can hear a squeak. Then there are ceramic balls fitted into a cross-linked polyethylene cup which does not squeak, but I am worried about the polyethylene wear particles and potential bio-activity with them. The ceramic particulates are biologically inert which is a good thing.
goes into the femur nor the out titanium fitting that gets shoved into the acetabelum. It is my understanding that those 2 main parts can only be replaces a few times, but the ball and the cup that fits into the acetabular fitting can be replaced as many times as needed.
My concern is basically what type of equipment to look at. This is a bit more serious than picking out a video card (well at least it is for me). Metal on metal seems like a massively bad idea so I am not going with that. I work with a guy who had his hip done at the age of 35 - who is also rather athletic and is still so after his replacement - and he has ceramic on ceramic. The downside is that when he does certain movements you can hear a squeak. Then there are ceramic balls fitted into a cross-linked polyethylene cup which does not squeak, but I am worried about the polyethylene wear particles and potential bio-activity with them. The ceramic particulates are biologically inert which is a good thing.
Originally posted by: gardener
Hey Babbles.
I'm in the same boat as you, although I am 45 and would like to put off surgery another couple years. I played soccer until about 4 years ago, and work as a gardener, so there is alot of wear in the joint, and I have moderately severe osteoarthritis in both hips, bone on bone, you know the story.
Newer procedures for younger patients include metal on metal joints, large head femoral components, and hip resurfacing surgery. The hip resurfacing surgery has been done for 15 or so years in Europe, esp the UK, and involves the removal of much less bone than total hip replacement, which is good for a variety of reasons including making it easier to do revision surgery.
The life expectancy for a replacement hip is 10-15 years, the hope is the current crop of components may last 20 years. That means you are looking at revisions, which is why most surgeons will tell you to wait as long as possible...that's been my experience here in Seattle, including discussions with sports medicine doctors, and soccer friends who are experiencing the same issues.
While it is true that young people have good bone and recover quickly, the prosthetic device will wear, create debris, and cause an inflammatory response that will result in bone loss. My first orthopedic surgeon told it like this...if you get the surgery now, you might be on your 3rd hip by the time you are 65, after that there won't be enough pelvis for another surgery and you will spend the rest life in a bed/chair with no hip.
What is your Harris Hip Scores? Do you walk with a limp? Its crazy to consider this surgery at your age unless you are very bad shape.
To me the hip resurfacing looks like a half-assed thing. Metal on metal is just bad and I am not going to put up with that.
As I noted above, the way I understand it if parts need to be replaced it is only the ball and cup and not the titanium metal fittings - which would be some serious stuff.
I did not take a Harris Hip Score and know nothing of it. When I was a kid I had something called a Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis which basically means the ball of my femur slipped from where it should be. It was pinned back in the day, but 20 years later it is still not normal and I have basically zero cartilage in my right hip and not much in my left.
The surgeon did emphasis it is all up to me and is a quality of life questions, but he did play devil advocate and mentioned what would be a reasonable age to get it done. If I were to wait until I was 45 then I essentially pissed away 15 years of my prime life living with pain and limited flexibility. Which, I think, is a very fair and reasonable point.
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