Patricia Walter discusses hip resurfacing and BHR Birmingham Hip Resurfacing she received in 2006 from Dr. De Smet in Belgium. Video recorded March 1, 2008

The first advantage of a hip resurfacing is that the hip device, due to its large size, allows a person to return to any of their favorite activities without restrictions or possibility of a dislocation. The old fashioned total hip replacement devices use a much smaller diameter ball as compared to size of your natural femur bone. The small size of the ball allows a hip to dislocate more easily. The size of the hip resurfacing device is matched very closely to the original size of your hip, so any movements you make are much less likely to cause a dislocation. The hip resurfacing device is acting the same way your natural hip use to function.

The second advantage is that Hip resurfacing is bone conserving. Bone conservation is one of the reasons that hip resurfacing is a better choice than total hip replacement. If at some time in the future you needed a revision, the complete femur bone is still in place. If a person starts with a total hip replacement, then the doctor has to break apart the femur bone to remove the long stem of the old total hip device. The femur bone must be wired back together when the new stem is placed. Hip resurfacing allows a much easier revision later in life, if it is required.