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Hip Joint

The hip is one of the largest weight-bearing joints in the body. When it's working properly, it
lets you walk, sit, bend, and turn without pain. Unlike the shoulder, the hip sacrifices degree of movement for additional stability. To keep it moving smoothly, a complex network of bones, cartilage, muscles, ligaments, and tendons must all work in harmony.

The hip is a ball-and-socket joint where the head of the femur articulates with the cuplike
acetabulum of the pelvic bone. The acetabulum fits tightly around the head of the femur.
The ball is normally held in the socket by very powerful ligaments that form a complete
sleeve around the joint (the joint capsule). The capsule has a delicate lining (the synovium).
The head of the femur is covered with a layer of smooth cartilage which is a fairly soft, white substance. The socket is also lined with cartilage. This cartilage cushions the joint, and allows
the bones to move on each other with very little friction.

An x-ray of the hip joint usually shows a "space" between the ball and the socket because the cartilage does not show up on x-rays. In the normal hip this "joint space" is approximately 1/4 inch wide and fairly even in outline.

Click on the topics below

Hip anatomy :: Arthritis of the Hip Joint :: Total Hip Replacement (THR)
Hip Resurfacing :: Revision Hip Replacement

Normal anatomy of the hip joint

How does the hip joint work?
Find out more in this web based movie.

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Arthritis of the hip joint

The term arthritis literally means inflammation of a joint, but is generally used to describe any condition in which there is damage to the cartilage.

Click here to go to the section on arthritis. ___________________________________________________________________   

Total Hip Replacement (THR)

Total Hip Replacement (THR) procedure replaces all or part of the hip joint with an artificial device (prosthesis) to restore joint movement. Find out more about the Total Hip Replacement from the following options.

Find out more about Total Hip Replacement (THR) with the following links.

Interactive Movie	Text version	Patient Info handout

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Hip Resurfacing

Hip Resurfacing or bone conserving procedure replaces the acetabulum (hip socket) and resurfaces the femoral head. This means the femoral head has some or very little bone removed and replaced with the metal component. This spares the femoral canal. Find out more about Hip Resurfacing from the following options.

Find out more about Hip Resurfacing with the following links.

Interactive Movie	Text version	Patient Info Handout

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Revision hip replacement

This means that part or all of your previous hip replacement needs to be revised. This operation varies from very minor adjustments to massive operations replacing significant amounts of bone and hence is difficult to describe in full.

Find out more about Revision Hip Replacement with the following links.
 

Interactive Movie	Text version	Patient Info Handout