Yesterday’s (9 March 2010) Daily Mail and New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/business/10device.html) had articles about problems with hip resurfacing. Here is an extract of the Daily Mail article:

‘As fears over these issues grow, sales of resurfacing implants in Britain have fallen. Surgeons say patients with pain-free resurfaced hips should have no cause for concern, but younger women are being counselled against it because surgeons have no way of predicting those who will be affected. However, the surgery remains an option for younger, robust men who appear to fare best with it. Kevin Jervis, 49, a police sergeant from Norwich, was a perfect candidate. He lived in continual pain so intense he couldn’t put on his own shoes, so had both hips resurfaced in 2003.  He has since gone on to achieve the highest Tae Kwon Do ranking, and says hip resurfacing has given him back his life.

Jeremy Latham, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, says: ‘Some orthopaedic surgeons who do a lot of hip surgery have some concerns about resurfacing. But this needs to be kept in perspective.

‘Hip resurfacing remains a good option for the right patient. I think we need carefully to screen and select patients so we can tailor the best procedure for every patient.’

The New York Times article is mainly concerned with an implant called the ASR.  I have never used this device, and it is no longer being sold.

There are some concerns about soft tissue reactions to metal ions, but the vast majority of patients who have had a resurfacing are very happy with the outcome and can look forward to many years of pain relief and excellent function. If you have had a hip resurfacing and are experiencing problems such as pain, or it doesn’t ‘feel right’, you should speak to your surgeon and ask for advice.