Stryker Hip Lawyer Columbia MD

When a person first develops arthritis in their hips, they may worry about how to treat it, how to prevent it from becoming worse, and when to consider a hip implant.  Only later do they realize that getting a replacement hip is more than just a yes or no question: with scores of makes and models to choose from, the type of system you choose can have an impact on your life, and choosing the right one can be anxiety-producing. There are many factors to hip replacement systems to keep in mind.  All systems tend to have some things in common.  They have a ball that protrudes from a “neck,” anchored in the femur by a long stem; the ball fits into a cup joint.   But the different systems differ in what they are made of: options include metal on metal, MOP, metal on ceramic, ceramic on ceramic, and ceramic on plastic.  Each material has pluses and minuses. Metal is very hard, but the metal particles it sheds can cause dangerous side effects, making it the most controversial material. Plastic is softer and thus wears more quickly, but the wear is less harmful than metal wear and cannot make its way into the bloodstream.  Ceramic is very hard and non-bioreactive, but it is slightly brittle and comes with some risk of cracking.  Systems that combine two materials attempt to combine the good qualities of each.                                                                                                                
Another trait to consider is the size of the ball.  The larger the surface area of the ball and cup that are in contact, the more wear particles accumulate.  For this reason, artificial hip joints are usually smaller than the ball joints in natural hips.  But smaller balls can be more prone to dislocation, and thus limit the patient’s range of motion more.  Patients should consider the available range of motion as one aspect of their new hip.  The younger and more active a person is, the more relevant this issue will be to them.  People who are active and inflict more wear on their hips also need to worry more about wear particles. Finally, younger people should prioritize longer-lasting artificial hips, to reduce the risk that they will need a revision surgery.  For this reason doctors may recommend different models to different patients depending on their age and lifestyles.  Another aspect of a system is when it was created. As time goes by, researchers have improved the formula for the metals, plastics and ceramics they use, making them harder, smoother and less porous. Patients may prefer a newer and more state-of-the-art model; on the other hand, older models have a larger body of evidence on how they hold up over time.                                                                                                                   
Over a dozen hip systems have been recalled over the years after evidence emerged linking them with high early failure rate. This makes it likely that some of the models on the market today will also be recalled eventually.  Patients should do their research and avoid models for which there is credible evidence that it frequently fails often or causes metal toxicity.