ABSTRACT
The hip joint is the most common site for arthroplasty, with around 70,000 hip replacements performed annually in the UK. The success or failure of management of hip problems is dependent on a sound understanding of the biomechanics of the hip joint and how the various components of this may be modified. The joint reaction force is the compressive force at the femoroacetabular articulation. The inherent osseous stability of the hip can have significant consequences on the forces and contact areas experienced at the joint surface. Periacetabular osteotomies improve the anterior, lateral and superior coverage of the femoral head and have been shown to decrease the contact force across the articular cartilage. Intertrochanteric osteotomy is a powerful procedure that can be used to redirect the femoral head into the acetabulum. Published long-term data on differing implants must be considered in the light of previous experiences, such as the Capital hip replacement; meta-analyses such as the Swedish Hip Register are valuable.
