Suffering from severe hip pain can keep you from enjoying many day-to-day activities.  Your hip joint is one of the body’s largest weight bearing joints and is used in both sitting, standing, and walking.  If you have severe hip pain, seeking relief from the pain that you experience is extremely important to you.

Understanding how the hip joint works and options that are available to help relieve your hip pain are the first steps to getting better.

Why are the hip joints so important? Your hip joints are the most important part in retaining your balance. If your hip joints are not performing at their best, you are at risk for potentially dangerous falls and injury.

What is the Hip Joint and Why Does It Hurt?

The hip joint is made up of a ball (femoral head) at the top of your thighbone(femur), and a rounded socket (acetabulum) in your pelvis. Ligaments connect the ball to the socket and usually provide tremendous stability to the joint.

A smooth, tough material called articular cartilage, which cushions the bones and lets them move easily, covers the surfaces of the ball and socket.

All the rest of the surfaces of the hip joint are covered by a thin, smooth tissue liner called synovial membrane, which makes a small amount of fluid that acts as a lubricant so that the bones in the hip joint will not rub against each other.

While hip pain can be caused by deformity or by direct injury, like trauma or a sports injury, the most common cause of hip pain is Osteoarthritis (OA), also known as Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD).

Depending on factors like age, weight, joint function, and activity, people with arthritis find their hip’s cartilage lining wears away over time. At that point, your bones begin to rub against each other, resulting in friction, swelling, pain, stiffness, and instability.

Treatment Options for Severe Hip Pain

Birmingham Hip Resurfacing

Patients suffering from hip pain due to arthritis, dysplasia or avascular necrosis can benefit from This new conservative approach to treatment.

Because this technologically advanced surgical procedure resurfaces rather than replaces the end of your femur (thighbone), you may participate in more strenuous physical activity with an implant that is potentially more stable and longer-lasting than traditional total hip replacements. And if future revision surgery is required, it may be a less complex and less traumatic procedure.

The potential advantages of hip resurfacing compared to Total Hip Replacement (THR)  include less bone removal (bone preservation), a reduced chance of hip dislocation due to a relatively larger femoral head size (giving the patient has an anatomically correct femoral head size), and easier revision surgery for any subsequent revision to a THR device because your surgeon will have more original bone stock available.

Total Hip Replacement(THR)

If you have not experienced adequate results with medication and other conservative treatments, total joint replacement may provide the pain relief you long for, in addition to allowing you to return to the lifestyle and activities you enjoy.

Hip replacement surgery involves replacing the femur (head of the thighbone) and the acetabulum (hip socket). Typically, the artificial ball with its stem is made of a strong metal or ceramic, and the artificial socket is made of polyethylene (a durable, wear-resistant plastic) or metal backed with a plastic liner. The artificial joint may be cemented in position or held securely in the bone without cement.

Meet Dr. Stephen Raterman

The first step in treating your severe hip pain is finding the best Orthopaedic surgeon to help you get relief from your severe hip pain.

At Florida Medical Clinic, Dr. Stephen Raterman is one of the most experienced Hip Resurfacing Surgeons in the U.S. Dr. Raterman has been past Chief of Surgical Subspecialties at University Community Hospital as well as Chief of Staff and Chief of Credentials at AdventHealth Tampa.

Dr. Raterman is an innovator in minimally invasive joint replacement surgery of the hip, including hip resurfacing. He has additional expertise in arthroscopic surgery of the hip. In addition, he is a Clinical Associate Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of South Florida.

Watch this informative video featuring Dr. Raterman and to learn more about hip pain and the latest innovations in hip replacement surgery. You can also visit the Florida Medical Clinic Department of Orthopaedic Surgery website.