| You are a candidate for a total hip replacement. You have met with your surgeon, and he or she has outlined the procedure and what implant will be used. But just how does your surgeon make the decision of which hip implant to use? Years ago, surgeons and patients had few options for total hip replacement. But advances have been made in hip replacement since the first surgery was performed in the U.S. in the late 1960s. Improvements in the endurance and compatibility of materials used in hip replacement surgery offer new ways to help patients of any age, including younger, more active patients needing a hip replacement. The design of artificial hips takes into consideration the hip joint forces, strength of the mechanism, ease of implantation and fit, wear and durability, chemical compatibility, and surface finish of each design. When a surgeon makes a decision about which implant to use, he or she takes into consideration several important factors, such as stability, range of motion, and wear resistance as well as your lifestyle, gender, age, and weight. Stability is the degree of resistance to the forces causing movement or change of movement. It directly affects range of motion or the arc created by flexing a limb at the joint. Affecting both stability and range of motion is the artificial bearing’s wear resistance, the resistance of the bearing to friction and subsequent erosion. These factors affect the life of the hip implant. In the past, patients had just one choice when considering total hip replacement—metal-on-polyethylene bearings. Today, patients have the additional options of metal-on-metal, ceramic-on-polyethylene, and ceramic-on-ceramic hip components. Only your surgeon can determine the appropriate hip replacement implant for you based on your specific medical condition, lifestyle, and other criteria. | 
