Until just recently, your orthopedist would likely be recommending total hip replacement surgery at this point of your condition. Although total hip replacement is more invasive to the bone than hip resurfacing, it is a safe and effective surgery, and is performed more than 300,000 times per year in the United States.

Hip resurfacing is an alternative to traditional hip replacement in which the femoral head and acetabulum (hip socket) are resurfaced rather than replaced. As you may know, total hip replacement requires the removal of the femoral head and the insertion of a hip stem down the shaft of the femur. Hip resurfacing, on the other hand, preserves the femoral head and the femoral neck. During the procedure, your surgeon will only remove a few centimeters of bone around the femoral head, shaping it tightly inside the hip resurfacing implant.

Your sureon will also prepare the acetabulum for the metal cup that will form the socket portion of the ball-and-socket joint. While the resurfacing component slides over the top of the femoral head, the acetabular component is pressed into place much like a total hip replacement would be.

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