BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing

FAQs about BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing System

The BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing is ideal for younger or active patients considering hip replacement surgery as a treatment for hip pain or hip arthritis. Hip resurfacing is especially relevant to patients concerned about bone conservation.

Many hip pain sufferers under the age of 60 will outlive a traditional hip replacement and require a second, more difficult hip replacement surgery. For such patients, hip resurfacing might be the best route. Many active patients over 60 years old are also good BIRMINGHAM HIP candidates, following review by a physician.

Inactive or elderly men and women are not ideal candidates for hip resurfacing surgery. Also, some chronic forms of arthritis severely deform the hip bones. Hip resurfacing may not be the best option for such patients.

As always talk to your doctor about what choices are right for you. Surgeons trained on the BIRMINGHAM HIP will be able to evaluate you to see if you are a candidate.

It is impossible to say how long your implant will last because so many factors play into the lifespan of an implant. A clinical study showed the BIRMINGHAM HIP had a survivorship of 98.4% at the five year mark (3), which is comparable with the survivorship of a traditional total hip replacement in the under-60 age group.

The primary disadvantage is that hip resurfacing is a relatively new technology compared to hip replacement, and therefore has not generated clinical data beyond ten years. Still, many changes to traditional hip replacement devices have been introduced recently in order to address certain shortcomings. These also have a limited amount of clinical follow-up.

The mid-term success has been extremely encouraging. The BIRMINGHAM HIP has been more closely studied and more widely implanted over more years than any other resurfacing implant system.

The operation for hip resurfacing is similar to a traditional hip replacement, but not identical. Because hip resurfacing surgery conserves, rather than removes, the femoral head (thighbone), it may be considered a bone conserving procedure compared to traditional hip replacement surgery. At the same time, hip resurfacing surgery is, in some ways, a more demanding surgical technique for the surgeon.

While the metal on metal implant used in the BIRMINGHAM HIP is more durable than the metal-on-plastic joints used for traditional hip replacement surgery, the resurfaced joint does still wear, resulting in an increase in metal ions in the patient’s blood and urine. It is also worth noting that in studies of patients with historical metal on metal devices, including those implanted for long periods, no adverse reactions have been documented.

Because the BIRMINGHAM HIP relies on the femoral neck of the patient, femoral neck fracture can still occur. Femoral neck fracture is an unfortunately common problem in the elderly. A total hip eliminates this risk by removing the neck of the femur.