Having a bad hip can have a negative impact on your life. Once it gets to the point that you’re unable to enjoy life, you may decide that you want to do something about it. An orthopedic surgeon may tell you that you need a hip implant, which is an artificial joint to replace your natural hip.
The hip is a ball-and-socket joint. The ball is at the top of the femur, or leg bone. It fits into the hip socket and is able to move around within the socket. When you have a hip implant, that ball and the socket are replaced.
What’s a metal-on-metal hip implant?
A metal-on-metal hip implant means that the ball and the artificial socket, or cup, are both made of metal. The problem with this is that as you move your leg around, the metal ball rubs the metal cup. This can release metal particles within the socket. It’s possible that the metal particles can cause reactions within the body.
In some cases, these shards will damage the tissue around the artificial joint. They may cause problems with the nearby bone. Other problems, such as adverse reactions, soft tissue damage and loosening of the implant may also occur. All of these can cause pain, loss of range of motion, and other symptoms. In some cases, a revision of the implant is necessary.
Anyone who’s had a hip implant and is having problems with it should find out more about what’s causing the issue. If the issue is due to a defective design, there are legal options available. These cases are sometimes complex, so you should work with someone who knows about these matters. There are time limits for getting this filed, so be sure that you don’t waste time once you know there’s a problem.