While recent figures will have been affected by Covid, around 90,000 total hip replacements (THRs) are performed in the UK each year. With the UK National Joint Register (NJR) active since 2003, there is now data from around 1.2 million THRs in that UK Registry. It is important that we understand how patients progress after their surgery. For that reason, data is collected routinely before and after hip surgery from my patients, whether in the NHS or private sectors. I am very supportive of that and hope all my patients are keen to contribute to this important process.
The average age of patients undergoing hip replacement is around 68. While only 12 per cent of patients are under 54 in the National Register, younger patients are not uncommon within my practice. Age should not be a major limitation to surgery, if a patient’s symptoms and limitation is felt to be sufficiently severe to warrant surgery. The youngest patient in whom I have had to carry out joint replacement surgery was only 13 and the oldest 97.