How a Hip Implant is Supposed to Work

A hip implant is designed to give the recipient freedom from pain – pain that he or she has likely experienced for years. Imagine the feeling of finally being able to live life free of discomfort, and to once again be able to move effortlessly. Unfortunately, for many patients, their hip implant procedure resulted in nothing more than continued misery.

How a Successful Hip Implant Surgery Works

The hip is one of the largest – and most important – joints. When something goes wrong with it, you will very likely find it nearly impossible to perform the most basic of actions. You’ll find it excruciating to simply get in and out of a chair, your car, or to even walk up and down your stairs.

Hip implant devices are designed to mimic the way that the natural hip joint works. While a natural joint has cartilage to help provide cushioning between the bones, implants use a special liner. This liner is supposed to make it easy for the components of the device to move – just like the components of the natural hip’s ball-and-socket joint.

Severe Complications

However, many patients who received metal-on-metal hip implants experienced complications due to the failure of the liner and other device components. These complications include joint instability, implant loosening, severe pain, loss of mobility, and even spontaneous dislocation. These complications are often caused by a condition known as metallosis, which can occur when metal device components rub against each other, releasing microscopic metal particles into the tissue surrounding the implant and the bloodstream.

Plaintiffs in defective metal-on-metal hip implant lawsuits allege that manufacturers of certain devices failed to warn of the potential of these complications. If you have suffered pain or other problems due to a failed implant, please get in touch with Baron & Budd. Call 866-520-2755 or complete our contact form to learn more about how we may be able to help.