There’s no doubt that you’d prefer to keep your own joints for as long as possible. But there may come a time when you should consider surgery to help you move without pain.
Every year, more than half a million Americans get hip replacement surgery. This amazing surgery helps restore your mobility so you can get back to doing the things you love.
At the private practice of board-certified orthopedic surgeon Kwan (Kevin) Jun Park, MD, we help restore diseased and damaged joints to patients in the Houston, Texas, area. One of the most common questions we field is: What is the best age to get a hip replaced?
Thanks to advances in surgical techniques and materials, people of all ages can benefit from a hip replacement, whether you’re 40, 60, or 80. Here’s what you need to know.
The hip joints are among the largest joints in your body. And these ball-and-socket joints have a big job, too, helping you move, supporting your body, and giving you range of motion so you can do the activities you love.
Because they do so much for your body, but they’re prone to wear-and-tear, increasing your risk for conditions like osteoarthritis. Other conditions can also take a toll on your hips, like rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition, and injuries, like fractures, which can trigger arthritis.
All of these conditions cause inflammation and pain in your hip joints. This can make it difficult to move around and may interfere with your ability to get a good night’s rest. And because arthritis is a degenerative disease, meaning it gets worse over time, there’s no cure.
As a result, you end up with one (or two) hips that can’t keep up with your normal or desired level of physical activity. And lack of exercise only makes arthritis worse, triggering a painful cycle.
Many of the conditions that trigger the need for a hip replacement are progressive. This means they continue to worsen as you get older. For this reason, hip replacements are most common among people over 60.
But that doesn’t mean younger people can’t get a hip replacement. In fact, the best age for a hip replacement depends on your unique needs, and the best way to learn if hip replacement surgery is right for you is by scheduling an evaluation with an expert, like Dr. Park.
For younger patients (generally 55 or younger) struggling with hip pain and inflammation, Dr. Park may recommend hip preservation surgery. Early hip preservation surgery can improve your hip health and delay future hip replacements.
Conditions that respond well to this type of intervention include:
But for some younger patients, a hip replacement is the best option for easing pain and restoring mobility. The good news is that today’s hip replacements are built to last. In fact, more than 90% of patients have hip replacements that last 20 years or more.
Dr. Park specializes in using minimally invasive surgical techniques, like the direct anterior approach, that make hip replacement possible for patients at every age. Instead of open surgery, Dr. Park can typically use smaller incisions and avoid cutting through your muscles, so you have a faster, easier recovery.
Are you wondering if now is the right time for you to consider hip replacement? Contact our Houston, Texas, office to set up an evaluation with Dr. Park.
