Welcome

If you are visiting this website, either you or someone you know needs a total hip replacement THR.  There is pain and it is no longer bearable. The time has come to stop taking pain killers, take your health into your own hands and start on the road to being active again.

About Hips For You

The Hips For You Website about Total Hip Replacement THR was conceived and designed by Patricia Walter. Patricia had her hip resurfaced in March 2006 with Dr. De Smet of Belgium. She felt there was a need for a website to help people learn about total hip replacement THR. She knew how wonderful a hip replacement was and wanted to help others learn about the procedure.

Hips For You is not controlled by any medical companies, doctors or hospitals. Patricia maintains the website and adds information almost daily. The website is a collection of information to help people learn about total hip replacement THR. It is a patient to patient guide to Total Hip Replacement THR.

Some doctors have been kind enough to provide articles about different subjects pertaining to total hip replacement. It is always interesting to learn from a doctor's point of view. The website does not provide medical advice, only your surgeon can tell you what solution is available for your hip problems.

What You Will Find on the Website

Hips For You  is a Patient to Patient Guide to Total Hip Replacement THR. It features a collection of articles, doctor information, medical studies and personal total hip replacement stories. Hips For You has been designed to help people learn about total hip replacement THR.

If you are a first time visitor to Hips For You, you might wonder where to start to learn about total hip replacement. The Article Page is a good place to start learning.

If you would like to talk about total hip replacement with other THR patients, visit the Total Hip Talk discussion group. Ask questions - get answers. Find support from other people that have had or will have a total hip replacement.

Are you interested in personal stories about people's experience with total hip replacement THR surgery? Visit the Total Hip Stories section to read personal stories about total hip replacement. Do you have a story you would like to share? Email your story to pwalter@surfacehippy.info 

Information About Hip Replacement

There are two basic options available for hip replacements - Total Hip Replacement THR and Hip Resurfacing. Total Hip Replacement or THR has been the standard in the United States for years, but there is another option for younger, more active patients called Hip Resurfacing. Doctors in Europe, Canada, Australia and India have been performing Hip Resurfacing with the current modern devices since 1997.

The information featured here is a collection of information I collected while spending weeks learning about hip replacement. It is provided as a guide to help you better understand THR Total Hip Replacement issues. Many times the information you receive from doctors or medical companies is biased. I have no reason to suggest any one THR total hip replacement device, manufacture or doctor over another.  There are, however, newer THR hip devices available and you want to make sure your doctor is offering you the best solution for your age and activity level. The new Metal on Metal, or MOM THR, total hip replacement devices and Ceramic on Ceramic total hip replacement devices are options that allow a person to remain very active and have a very small possibility of a dislocation

Total Hip Replacement THR Devices

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, more than 193,000 THR or total hip replacements are performed each year in the United States and more than 90 percent of these do not require revision.

There are many types of total hip replacement devices and more are being developed. There are many total hip replacement implant designs and materials, and the devices or prosthesis come in a few broad categories:

• Metal with Polyethylene Liner THR Devices

• Metal on Metal MOM THR Devices

• Ceramic on Ceramic THR Devices

• Devices for MIS THR Surgery

• Mid Head THR designs such as BMHR Birmingham Mid Head Resection Prosthesis and Proxima Hip Device

• Shorter Stem THR Devices like Revelation Lateral Flare Hip Stem

The Total Hip Replacement Page describes the Total Hip Replacement Devices in much more detail. The MIS Article Page describes the minimally invasive surgery technique for total hip replacement.

There are several approaches to total hip replacement surgery. The posterior approach had normally been the accepted approach in the past for most surgeons, but the direct anterior approach has become more popular along with MIS Minimally Invasive Surgical techniques.

Information about Hip Resurfacing

Hip Resurfacing has been FDA Approved for the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Device (BHR) and the Cormet Hip Resurfacing Device (CHR).  Surface Hippy is a complete website devoted to Hip Resurfacing. Hip Resurfacing is bone conserving because it does not require the head of the femur bone to be cut off. A cap is fitted over the reshaped head of the femur bone after the bone has been shaped to accept it. A cup is then placed in the acetabulum of the hip to provide a bearing surface for the hip cap. The acetabular cup is very similar to a metal on metal MOM THR hip prothesthesis acetabular cup.