Why Implants Can Wear out Over Time
A loosening hip replacement implant can be painful.
Hip replacements usually last at least 20 years.
An accident, fall, or another impact injury can also cause the hip replacement to come loose.
Brianna Gilmartin / Verywell
This article discusses hip replacement loosening and its causes.
It also explains why hip replacements may fail and require joint revision surgery.
One of the key concerns about hip replacement surgery is the loosening of thehip prosthetic.
It is a normal consequence of implant surgery, sometimes requiring revision surgery to correct the problem.
Unfortunately, the revision process is often less successful than the first surgery.
Life Span of Hip Prosthetics
Most hip replacements last an average of 20 to 25 years.
Some implants last longer, while others fail much sooner.
Some of the earliest implants failed because the metals were susceptible to breakage or the plastics quickly shattered.
This is typically a gradual process that increasingly impedes the normal function of the prosthesis.
This is known as osteolysis.
An orthopedic surgeon will discuss what punch in of implant is best to reduce long-term complications, including loosening.
When viewed on anX-ray, it will look as though there are holes in the bone around the implant.
Because of the weakened bone, the hip replacement can become loose and begin to wobble over time.
Pain and limitations in the motion of the hip are also common.
What Is Cement Disease?
Generally speaking, people tend to recover lessrange of motion (ROM)of the joint following revision surgery.
The longevity of the implant will also decrease, increasing the risk of asecond revision surgery.
Urgent Cases
Hip replacements can fail for reasons other than loosening.
They tend to have much smaller wear particles and debris accumulating around the joint.
The overall volume of wear in these implants is also less than that of traditional metal-on-polyethylene implants.
Furthermore, there may be other complications associated with differenttypes of hip implantsthat may not occur with metal-on-polyethylene models.
The long-term impact of this remains unknown.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of case series and national registry reports with more than 15 years of follow-up.Lancet.
2018;13(11):e0204391.
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doi:10.3390/ma12030495
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Concerns about metal-on-metal hip implants.
2015;97(17):1386-97. doi:10.2106/JBJS.N.01141
