ASK A DOC: Hip surgery and what to expect

There are two kinds of hip replacement surgery – total and partial. With total hip replacement, the entire damaged bone or cartilage is replaced with a prosthetic component. This is one of the most common types of joint replacement performed in the United States: more than 450,000 a year. This procedure is more complicated and has a more challenging recovery period than partial hip replacement, which is recommended for patients whose hip joint ball is worn and needs to be replaced with a prosthesis. Partial hip replacement is more straightforward and has the shortest recovery period. It accounts for a quarter of all hip procedures, with nearly 100,000 operations performed per year in the United States.