A painful hip does not always mean that you need surgery, you need to speak to your doctor and discuss the severity of your pain, and the condition that is causing it.

There are a number of conditions that can result in a patient having to undergo an articular surface replacement surgery. Perhaps the most common condition is osteoarthritis that is commonly referred to as ‘wear and tear arthritis’. Osteoarthritis can occur with no previous history of injury to the hip joint. The hip simply ‘wears out’. There may be a genetic tendency in some people that increases their chances of developing osteoarthritis.

Disorder of the Hip Joint

• Osteoarthritis is a chronic joint disease characterised pathologically by degeneration of articular cartilage and hypertrophy of bone, clinically by pain on activity, which subsides with rest. Also known as degenerative arthritis, hypertrophic arthritis and senescent arthritis.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis is a chronic inflammatory disease that results in joint pain, swelling and stiffness. The process of this disease tends to lead to severe deterioration of multiple joints, resulting in loss of function and severe pain.
• Avascular Necrosis is another condition that could lead to articular surface replacement surgery. In this condition, the femoral head (ball) loses a portion of its blood supply and actually dies.
• Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) is a congenital (present at birth) condition of the hip joint. It occurs once in every 1,000 births. The hip joint is created as a ball and socket joint. In DDH, the hip socket may be shallow, letting the “ball” of the long leg bone slip in and out of the socket. The “ball” may move partially or completely out of the hip socket.
• Slipped Upper Femoral Epiphysis is a condition involving the upper end of the femur (thigh bone), where the epiphyseal plate (growth plate) is weakened and the head of the femur (ball) is slipped downward and backward.