Long-standing, substantial pain due to significant arthritis
Total hip replacement is usually considered when pain is substantial, persistent, and clearly related to significant hip arthritis.
What needs to be present
- Substantial pain
- Months
- Significant arthritis
- No other sources of pain (referred pain)
Why severity matters
It is important that in order to benefit from a total joint replacement the symptoms (pain) of arthritis must be substantial and long lasting. If the pain is only minimal then it is probably not worth taking the risks of the operation.
Matching symptoms with imaging
Treatment decisions are based on a careful correlation between your symptoms and your imaging findings.
For joint replacement to be appropriate, the arthritis seen on X-rays is typically moderate to advanced and consistent with the level of pain and functional limitation being experienced.
When symptoms are severe but imaging shows only mild arthritic changes, it raises the possibility that the pain may be arising from another source. In these situations, joint replacement is unlikely to provide meaningful relief and further evaluation is required to identify the true cause of symptoms.