Time is on Your Side. Longer Living Hip Replacements
Birmingham Hip™ Resurfacing- First in Michigan
Hip replacement without the replacement? Absolutely. A procedure called Birmingham Hip™ Resurfacing was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2006 and has many advantages over total hip replacement.
Philip Schmitt, D.O., an orthopaedic surgeon at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital, was the fi rst doctor in Michigan to perform Birmingham Hip Resurfacing. He trained in the bone-saving procedure in Birmingham, England, where it originated. The procedure has been used in England since the 1970s and on more than 70,000 patients worldwide.
Rather than replacing the entire hip joint, Dr. Schmitt shaves and caps a few centimeters of bone, so more of the patient’s natural bone structure and stability are retained. The Birmingham implant provides 98 percent less wear than a traditional hip implant, reduction in the risk of dislocation and inaccurate leg length, reduced recovery time and reduced need for a second surgery.
Since 2006, Dr. Schmitt has completed more than 500 Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedures at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital.
“This is a very good option for patients younger than 60 who have bad arthritis in the hip,” says Dr. Schmitt.
Click here to listen to DMC's own Emery King discuss Birmingham HipTM Resurfacing
Click here to watch a video on this revolutionary new procedure featuring Dr. Schmitt
Ceramic Hip Replacements
“As longer, hip implants need to last longer,” comments Mark M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon who performs ceramic bearing hip replacements at Huron Valley-Sinai Hospital. “In conventional metal-on-plastic joints, the metal begins to wear the plastic down after about 15 years, requiring the need for a second hip replacement,” says Dr. Mackey.
Ceramic hip replacements have been developed in an effort to decrease the wearing out of hip implants. Ceramic hip replacement implants are very hard, and very smooth. These characteristics could help to decrease the amount of wear within the implants. In the traditional metal and plastic hip replacements, the plastic wears out slowly over time. As the plastic wears out, small particles of plastic debris are generated. This plastic debris triggers a response by your body which can lead to loosening of the implants over time.
In laboratory tests, new ceramic-on-ceramic implants last longer, making them an ideal choice for patients under age 60.
“Younger patients don’t have to live with pain for the rest of their lives,” comments Dr. Mackey. “A total ceramic hip replacement can improve their quality of life and allow them to do daily tasks with less pain.”