Thanks to modern medicine, you have treatment options that restore range of motion and quality of life following injuries or other issues with your hips. Solutions you might hear your doctor discuss include hip pinning and hip replacement.
Hip pinning and hip replacement have important differences. As with any medical treatment, you should understand the process as much as possible before you go through with either procedure to have the right expectations for recovery and understand any risks.
Hip pinning
Hip pinning surgery can help repair the damage when a person breaks their hip. The procedure involves placing pins and sometimes other equipment into the damaged hip, which holds things in place while healing occurs.
Usually a better-suited treatment for younger individuals, doctors may not recommend it for elderly patients. Certain types of breaks and fractures benefit more from hip pinning than others.
Hip replacement
Doctors may recommend hip replacement as an alternative to hip pinning after an injury or suggest it as a solution for other issues such as arthritis. A hip replacement involves removing damaged or problematic parts of the hip and putting in artificial implants to replace them.
When considering a replacement due to pain or limited mobility, doctors often recommend that you try other options, such as physical therapy or medication first. If these treatments fail to provide relief, replacement may be necessary.
Understand your options
While doctors generally only use hip pinning as a treatment after an injury, they may recommend a hip replacement for a wide variety of reasons. Communicate with your doctor and ask plenty of questions to help ensure you get the best treatment option for your needs.