New Procedure Used to Save ...

New Procedure Used To Save Bad HipsPOSTED: 2:53 pm PDT June 13, 2007 SAN DIEGO -- Doctors are using hip resurfacing as a new way to replace worn out hips. The procedure can spare the bone so younger patients with bad hips can remain physically active. Kevin McCarey is a seasoned athlete and has been waiting for this day. He is undergoing an alternative to hip replacement called Birmingham Hip Resurfacing. “This procedure is designed for younger people with arthritic hips. It’s a bone-saving procedure; it doesn’t remove the femoral head,” said Scripps orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Kimball. Kimball is one of the first doctors in San Diego to use the new method. "It's a bone preserving procedure. You don't remove any of the bone, you take off the cartilage and put this metal cap in place,” said Kimball... Six weeks after hip resurfacing surgery, McCarey said, “It’s just amazing how fast you come back. The pain is completely gone out of my hip.” McCarey is back to doing intense two to four-hour daily workouts and feeling stronger than ever... The procedure was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but it has been used for more than a decade in England and Canada. READ MORE