Hip Replacement Surgery

Total Hip Replacement Step-by-Step Description

Surgical procedures differ depending on the patient’s needs and the surgeon’s approach, but generally the steps are as follows:

• The patient’s vital signs are checked to make sure blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and oxygenation levels are normal and surgery can proceed. A mark is made on the hip undergoing surgery.

• Anesthesia is administered. A patient may receive general anesthesia (be put to sleep) or be given regional anesthesia to block sensation from the waist down, along with a relaxant. The type of anesthesia a patient receives is decided well ahead of time.

• The surgeon makes a 10 to 12-inch incision, usually at the side or back of the hip, cutting through skin and then through muscle and other soft tissue to expose the bones at the hip joint. A surgeon performing minimally invasive total hip replacement will make a smaller incision and/or cut through less soft tissue.

  • See Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement vs. Traditional Hip Replacement

• The surgeon dislocates the joint, removing the head of the femur from its socket in the pelvis. This socket is called the acetabulum.

• The arthritic femoral head is cut off with a bone saw.

• The surgeon prepares the acetabulum for its acetabular cup prosthesis by using a special tool called a reamer to grind down and shape the socket.

Signs you need a hip replacement

• Pain during activity. Pain in your hip that heightens with activity and lessens with rest.

• Delayed hip pain. Pain that comes on after activity and lasts for a few days.

• Pain that interrupts sleep. ...

• Bone on bone arthritis. ...

• Stiffness in your hip joint. ...

• Visual changes in your hip. ...

• Lifestyle limitations.