Introduction

The hip is the largest joint in the human body. From the time infants learn to walk, their hips have to support much of their weight. By the time people reach old age, their hip joints have been exposed to a tremendous amount of wear and tear. If the wear is excessive, it can lead to severe pain and stiffness, which make walking difficult. At this point, many people will question whether their quality of life would improve if they were to have hip replacement. This is a major surgical procedure in which a deteriorated natural hip joint is replaced with an artificial hip joint in order to relieve pain and improve leg movement.

As the population grows and ages, hip replacements are increasing at the rate of 10% each year. Of the 600,000 hip replacements performed annually throughout the world, approximately 90% will last 10 years or longer. The procedure for hip replacement is considered to be one of the greatest surgical achievements of the 20th century. It has allowed many people to have a comfortable, independent life who would otherwise have had substantial disability.