Knee arthritis wears you down slowly. Hip disease is often crueller and quicker — a deep groin pain that shortens your stride, makes putting on socks a negotiation, and can arrive in your thirties or forties rather than your sixties. That is because the hip is not only damaged by age-related arthritis: in India, avascular necrosis (AVN) of the femoral head is one of the commonest reasons a young adult needs a hip operation.
Dr. Pradyumna Chakraverty performs total hip replacement at his South Kolkata practice, treating arthritic hips, AVN and hip fractures in older patients. He completed his MS in Orthopaedics at KPC Medical College, Jadavpur, and serves as an Assistant Professor of Orthopaedics alongside his surgical practice.
Arthritis. Osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis grind away the cartilage between ball and socket. Pain sits in the groin or thigh — patients often mistake it for a muscle pull for months — and stiffness steadily steals rotation, so cutting toenails and crossing legs become the first casualties.
Avascular necrosis. In AVN the ball of the joint loses its blood supply and the bone inside it dies and collapses. Long-term steroid use and alcohol are known associations, but many patients have neither. Caught early, AVN can sometimes be managed with protected weight-bearing or joint-preserving procedures; once the head has collapsed, replacement is usually the reliable answer. The difference between those two stages is an MRI — which is why unexplained groin pain in a younger adult should never be dismissed.
Fracture. A fractured neck of femur in an older person is treated as a priority, because prolonged bed rest is more dangerous than the operation itself. Depending on age, bone quality and the fracture pattern, the right operation may be fixation, a partial replacement or a total hip replacement — a judgement Dr. Chakraverty makes case by case, drawing on his trauma practice. You can read more on the fracture and trauma care page.
In a total hip replacement the damaged ball is removed and replaced with a stem and head, and the socket is resurfaced with a cup. Implant and bearing choices — cemented or uncemented, and the bearing surface — are matched to your age, bone quality and activity, and the reasoning is explained to you, not just decided for you.
Most patients are on their feet with support within a day or two. The early weeks are governed by simple precautions that protect the new joint while the soft tissues heal; these are taught properly before discharge, not handed over as a printed sheet. Over the following weeks walking aids are withdrawn and everyday life returns — with honest guidance about floor-sitting and squatting, which carry real risks for a replaced hip and deserve a frank conversation rather than a vague reassurance.
Patients with advanced hip arthritis, AVN of the femoral head, certain hip fractures in older age, or hips damaged by childhood conditions or injury — when pain limits daily life despite non-surgical care.
Death of bone in the ball of the hip due to lost blood supply, often affecting younger adults. Early stages may be treatable without replacement; collapsed stages usually need surgery.
Most patients stand and walk with support within a day or two, with support withdrawn gradually over the following weeks.
Deep squatting and floor sitting raise the risk of dislocation, particularly early on. What is realistic long-term depends on the implant and approach — discussed honestly before surgery.
Commonly fifteen to twenty years or more, depending on age, activity, weight and bone quality. Younger patients are counselled about possible revision later in life.
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