Hip implant loosening can have several side effects for patients

Hip implant surgeries are not rare. This year, between 200,000 and 300,000 people will undergo hip implant surgery in the United States. The prognosis is typically good, and most patients will enjoy increased mobility, a reduction in pain, and no loosening of their artificial hip implant. 

Modern advances in technology are the biggest factor responsible for making the procedure much more safe than in years past. However, an exception to this statement is best illustrated by DePuy's recent legal trouble associated with two of their defective hip implant devices: the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System and the ASR XL Acetabular System.   

While there are several problems associated with these artificial hip implants, the most painful of the side effects involves a loosening of the hip implant (or hip replacement loosening), something that has been repeatedly documented through consumer complaints and FDA reports. (The large number of complaints has ultimately pressured DePuy to file a worldwide recall.  As a result, patients have turned to ASR lawyers to file a DePuy defective hip implant lawsuit.)

What does it mean to have a "loosening of the hip implant?"

Time is generally considered the biggest factor in hip replacement loosening. Every prosthetic is expected to loosen over time through normal use of the joint; however, DePuy's devices have loosened at an unacceptable rate, sometimes in as little as two years! 

When the artificial hip device is placed into the patient's body it is either press-fit or cemented into the proper position, making sure that the device is tightly adhered to the femur and pelvis.  The tight fit is intended to keep the hip device from moving out of it's original position.  However, when a defective device begins to loosen, the implant starts to move away from the bone.

A artificial hip implant patient will usually be able to determine if their implant has loosened through a decrease in mobility and increase in pain.  If the patient has received either of DePuy's defective hip devices, it is imperative that you consult with your physician and a prominent DePuy hip implant lawyer.