How a hip replacement is done

What happens during a hip replacement

If you’re having a hip replacement, you’ll usually go into hospital on the day of the operation.

You’ll either have a local anaesthetic in your spine (you’re awake but will have no feeling from the waist down), or a general anaesthetic (you’re asleep during the operation).

If you have a local anaesthetic, you may also be offered a sedative to help you feel relaxed and sleepy.

The operation usually takes about 1 to 2 hours. The type of surgery you have depends on things like how damaged your hip is, what caused the damage and your general health.

Some hip replacement operations are carried out using what is known as a minimally invasive approach. This means the surgeon will only make small cuts.

A minimally invasive approach is not suitable for everybody. Your doctor will discuss what type of operation is best for you.

Total hip replacement

A total hip replacement is the most common type of hip replacement. This is where the "ball" of the hip joint (the top end of the thigh bone) and the "socket" (the connected section of hip in your pelvis) are replaced with metal, ceramic or plastic parts.

The main steps of total hip replacement surgery are:

1. The surgeon makes a cut, or a number of cuts, in the back or side of your hip .
2. The damaged hip joint is taken apart.
3. The top end of the thigh bone (ball joint) is cut off and removed.
4. A new metal (or sometimes ceramic) ball is fitted to the end of the thigh bone.
5. The hip socket is drilled out and a new plastic (or sometimes ceramic) socket is fitted.
6. The new hip is put back together.
7. The surgeon closes the cut or cuts using stitches or clips and covers it with a dressing and bandage.
8. You’ll be taken to a recovery room so you can fully recover from the anaesthetic. You may be given medicines to help with any pain you have.

Partial hip replacement

A partial hip replacement involves only removing the "ball" of the joint (the top of the thigh bone) and leaving the "socket" (the connected section of hip in your pelvis) in place.

This usually has a faster recovery time than a total hip replacement. But it does not usually last as long.

You may be offered a partial hip replacement if :

• you are in poor health or are frail
• you've had a serious hip injury

Hip resurfacing

Hip resurfacing involves removing the surface of the "ball" of the joint (the top of the thigh bone) and putting a metal cover over it, rather than removing the whole joint.

Hip resurfacing does not work well for people with weaker bones. You may be offered it if you're aged around 50 or younger.

National Joint Registry

After surgery, you’ll be asked if you consent to giving your personal details and details of your hip replacement to the National Joint Registry (NJR).

The NJR collects and monitors details of hip replacements to help improve patient safety, experience and outcomes.