Hip resurfacing allows many to resume sports

NEW YORK, May 19 (Reuters) A new study shows that many active people are able to get back into sports after having hip resurfacing, a less extensive alternative to total hip replacement.

Swiss researchers found that, at an average of two years following surgery, 98 percent of 112 hip resurfacing patients were exercising regularly, in activities ranging from cycling and walking to skiing and jogging.

Hip resurfacing is a relatively new procedure used to treat severe hip arthritis and other forms of hip degeneration.

It's primarily intended for younger, more active adults who want to defer total hip replacement, which doesn't last a life-time and is often less successful the second time around.

Like hip replacement, hip resurfacing is major surgery, but it leaves more of the patient's bone intact. A surgeon reshapes the head of the thigh bone and covers it with a metal cap; a metal cup is placed inside the hip socket to create a metal-on-metal joint.

In contrast, traditional hip replacements involve cutting away the head of the thigh bone and replacing it with a metal implant. A plastic implant is placed in the hip socket. Over time, the implants can wear and loosen, particularly if a person is physically active.

Younger, active patients may opt for hip resurfacing with the hope of returning to their vigorous lifestyle. But it's been unclear how often they actually do, according to Dr Florian Naal and colleagues at the Schulthess Clinic in Zurich.

Of the 112 hip resurfacing patients they surveyed, 110 were back to their active lives, regularly engaging in four to five activities and sports, on average.

Many were still into vigorous activities like downhill skiing, tennis and contact sports, though the percentages were lower compared with before surgery. Overall, 85 percent said they felt ''good'' or ''excellent'' during their activities.

Naal's team reports the findings in the American Journal of Sports Medicine.

The results show that hip resurfacing patients can return to a high level of physical activity, according to the researchers, and so far, none of the patients in the study has shown signs of implant loosening.

However, they add, it's not yet clear how well hip resurfacing implants hold up in the long term. ''Only the future can reveal whether hip resurfacing arthroplasties will produce less wear over time than other implants,'' the researchers conclude.

REUTERS RC PM0905