At Hospital Angeles Tijuana we are lucky to have Dr Dario Garin, the only approved surgeon in Mexico to be able to perform Birmingham Hip Resurfacing surgery.
Joint replacements used to be thought of as a procedure or for older people, so to expect a new hip or knee to last 10-15 years with limited activity even after the procedure was acceptable. However, more and more, active, young people require joint replacements, due to congenital conditions, extreme sports, injury or simply because 70 is the new 60 and as our life expectancy has risen, so has our prosthetic joint expectancy!
Traditionally, hip replacements involve removing a large section of the femur and replacing it with a prosthetic bone. Hip resurfacing involves removal of minimal amounts of bone so only the damaged bone on the surface of the joint is removed, replacing the damaged surfaces of the femur (the “ball’) and the acetabulum (the “socket’). Having your hip resurfaced rather than replaced is similar to having a damaged tooth capped, instead of pulling it out completely and replacing it with a denture.
At Angeles health we use the Smith & Nephew BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing System. Since its approval by the FDA in 2006, there have been over 125,000 successful surgeries performed all over the world using the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing technology.
What makes the BHR so great?
There are three elements to Smith and Nephew’s Birmingham Hip Resurfacing System that give the recipient the best results, lasting for at least as long as traditional implants but with greater comfort and mobility after the procedure.
1/ Head Size. Most hip replacements have a smaller femoral head (ball) than a normal femoral head. This makes the new joint less stable than a healthy hip joint. The BHR implant is similar in size to your natural hip, meaning that a person with a BHR hip is able to be more active with less chance of dislocation after the procedure.
2/ The Bearing Surface. The BHR utilizes on of the most technologically advanced bearing surfaces within the orthopaedic industry. The new surface of the ball and socket are especially made to reduce joint wear in comparison with traditional hip implants.
3/ Conserving Bone. Hip resurfacing saves a considerable amount of your femur, compared to a complete hip replacement. Because we keep most of your femur, including the femoral neck and most of the head, the BHR does not affect your height or leg length (which can, in turn, damage the good hip). Because so much of the bone is saved, should you need to have the hip replaced in years to come, the procedure is much simpler than replacing a full, cemented hip replacement.
We are the only hospital in Mexico approved to perform this surgery. If you would like to speak to a doctor find out if the BHR system is right for you then contact us today using the inquiry form to the right of this screen.
