A painful, stiff hip can keep you from doing the simple things in life, even walking without pain. Total hip replacement is a safe, reliable procedure that can relieve your pain and stiffness and return you to most of the activities that you enjoy. This treatment works very well for the older less active patient.

There are four main causes for hip degeneration

• Osteoarthritis remains the most common cause of hip joint degeneration. This is a degenerative process which directly results in the wearing out of cartilage on the joint surface. Over time, the joint surface slowly erodes, resulting in a painful joint when it moves and bears weight.
• Rheumatoid arthritis is a disease of the tissue which lines the inside of the joint. This results in the joint becoming inflamed (hot, swollen and painful), stiff and deformed. The initiating cause is unknown, but is thought to be an allergic reaction against the own body's defenses.
• Avascular necrosis (AVN) is another form of hip joint degeneration where the blood supply to the femoral head (ball portion) of the joint is reduced. This causes this portion of the joint to die, which leads to the collapse of the effected bone and degeneration of the joint.
• Abnormalities and trauma to the hip joint can also be a cause of joint degeneration.

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