Hip Replacement Surgery: How It Works, Who Needs It, and What to Expect

Hip pain — whether from chronic arthritis, injury, or age-related wear and tear — can profoundly affect your quality of life. When pain limits everyday activities like walking, climbing stairs, or just getting in and out of a chair, hip replacement surgery may be the solution that helps restore comfort, mobility, and independence. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore what hip replacement is, who benefits most from it, how the surgery works, and what recovery looks like in 2026.

Hip replacement, also called total hip arthroplasty (THA), is a surgical procedure that removes a damaged or worn-out hip joint and replaces it with artificial components (prostheses). The hip is one of the body’s largest and most important joints — a ball-and-socket structure where the femoral head (top of the thigh bone) rotates within the acetabulum (part of the pelvis). Over time, conditions like osteoarthritis or traumatic injury can erode the smooth cartilage that cushions this joint, causing pain and restricted movement.