Types of hip replacements

The hip joint is one of the largest joints in the human body. He constantly experiences high stress when performing various movements at home, during rest, and at work. Well, for bodybuilders and powerlifters who do deadlifts and squats with super-heavy extreme weights, this generally becomes a serious problem. How many famous athletes have retired from professional sports due to hip injuries. Meanwhile, significant structural damage to the hip joint leads to the inability to stand on your feet and move independently, and you can forget about an active lifestyle altogether.

In such cases, the only option is surgery using hip replacement.

What is endoprosthetics?

Endoprosthesis replacement surgery involves replacing part or all of a joint with an artificial implant, which is biomechanically similar to a normal healthy joint. Today, artificial hip joints are fully biologically compatible with the tissues of the human body and can withstand significant loads for decades.

Typically, an implant consists of the following elements:

1. prosthetic cup replacing the acetabulum;
2. the head of the femoral component, replacing the similar head of the femur.
3. a leg on which the head of the endoprosthesis is rigidly attached;
4. a polyethylene liner designed to reduce friction between the pelvic and femoral parts of the endoprosthesis.

Types of endoprostheses and types of endoprosthetics operations

Implants can be made from various materials: metals (steel, titanium, various alloys), ceramics, high-strength polymers. There are also combined options, when part of the prosthesis is made, for example, from titanium, and the other part from ceramics.

In addition, a distinction is made between unipolar and bipolar (total) prostheses. In the first case, the implant consists only of a head and a stem. This type of endoprosthesis is used quite rarely, since sometimes its installation leads to rapid wear and destruction of the acetabulum. This is especially true for older people, whose bones are quite fragile due to impaired metabolism.

It should be noted that metal implants are slightly stronger than their ceramic counterparts and, accordingly, last a little longer. However, they are inferior to the latter in mobility.

When performing an operation, it is very important to determine the type of fixation of the endoprosthesis. If the option is chosen incorrectly, complications may arise. There are 3 methods of fixation:

1. Cementless - the prosthesis is fixed due to its design features (for example, the implant has several special protrusions or a coating that allows it to adhere to the bone). During the postoperative period, the prosthesis naturally grows with bone tissue, which increases adhesion strength. The disadvantage of this method is that the patient is not allowed to subject the leg to additional stress until the implant is fully secured.
2. Cement, which involves using special surgical cement or glue for fixation. The advantage of the method is a faster recovery of the patient, however, the fixing substance sometimes causes an allergic reaction.
3. Hybrid, combining both of the above options.

It should be noted that not all Russian clinics perform such operations at the appropriate level, so the best option may be treatment in foreign clinics (for example, in Israel, hip replacement services are offered by the Ramat Aviv medical center: Treatment has a number of significant advantages – the highest qualifications of surgeons, the possibility of examination using advanced medical equipment, the presence of Russian-speaking specialists, etc.