Joe Mitchell always assumed his chronic leg pain was due to tight muscles, but as the pain became more intense in recent years, his physicians uncovered the culprit: an arthritic hip. He explored treatment options, and was dismayed to learn that he was not an immediate candidate for the main treatment for arthritic hips: hip replacement surgery.
“Hip replacements are meant to last 10 to 20 years at the maximum. After that, the revision surgeries are not as successful, so surgeons shy away from doing total hip replacements on people younger than 60,” said Mitchell.

Mitchell is not alone. Like the 54-year-old attorney, who always led a fit and active lifestyle, hundreds of thousands of active baby boomers are now dealing with worn-out joints - and the pain - at a much earlier age than their more sedentary parents. Many, like Mitchell, are considered too young for total hip replacements, face years of painful waiting until they “come of age,” and often balk at the prospect of limiting their activity level once the artificial joint is in place.

But that’s beginning to change, thanks to a procedure called hip resurfacing, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration last May.

You may continue reading the rest of the article here, from News-Medical.net, Australia.