What happens when my total hip arthroplasty becomes loose or painful?
When a total hip arthroplasty becomes loose or painful or is in need of additional surgery, there is a great deal of variability in what may be required to address the situation. Occasionally, it can be as simple as changing a modular femoral head and a plastic liner, or it may be as complex as completely redoing the entire arthroplasty. The overall outcome and its success rate for these revision surgeries is also highly variable. If your arthroplasty is becoming painful, you should have it evaluated as soon as possible by your orthopaedic surgeon. If additional surgery is recommended at that time, you should be able to get a clear impression of what will be involved at the time of any revision surgery.
