Hip resurfacing: not your average hip replacement

Abstract

Hip resurfacing (HR) has become a widely used surgical intervention for younger patients requiring hip joint arthroplasty. While case reports have been published describing rehabilitation programs following HR, there has yet to be established rehabilitation guidelines. Through experience and clinical reasoning, the following guidelines have been developed based on the patients at the Hospital for Special Surgery. The demographics of the typical HR patient, along with the surgical process are described. Current published literature reporting rehabilitation for patients with arthritic hip pathologies has been incorporated into the guidelines and is presented. The guidelines are divided into three phases, with goals for each phase explained. A progression through phases by way of reaching certain milestones and goals is advocated.

Current Expert Views on Metal-on-Metal Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty. Consensus of the 6th Advanced Hip Resurfacing Course, Ghent, Belgium, May 2014

“…Data from the Australian registry have demonstrated unequivocally that operative experience is of paramount importance for hip resurfacing with a 66% higher risk of revision in hospitals with less than 25 hip resurfacing cases per year (30, 31). The majority of participants believe that hip resurfacing should be limited to surgeons trained to perform hip resurfacing, high volume hip surgeons and/or experienced hip resurfacing surgeons (Fig.…”