It's always better to wait for a hip replacement until you absolutely need it. From what I know, hip replacements are a wonderful thing; but it's better to keep your real hip for as long as you can. Hip replacements - especially in young people - don't last as long as they do in elderly patients, and each time you have to have the original replacement redone, it's never quite as good as the first one. I guess the rule of thumb is: if the pain is so bad you can't put up with it any longer and it's affecting your quality of life to a great degree, then hip replacement would be a good thing.

Hi, I just found your question, I hope it is still valid to reply :)
i am a 23 year old female and I had both my hips replaced at the end of 2004. I had had severe pain in both hips for a long time. It was worse at night, causing me to be unable to sleep.I was on very strong pain killers and they still did nothing to help. I had a lot of people saying it was very young to be having it done, but the thing is if it is so bad it runs your life, then why wait.

By the time that I need replacements the technology will be better again, so who knows what will be available. My surgeon was very helpful, he did lots of x-rays etc to work out how bad my hips really were. It turned out they were both extremely worn away at the joint. He said I could wait, and deal with the pain for a few more years while putting my life on hold, but what do you really gain by doing that?

So I have had it done. Iv had arthritis since I was 4 years old and been on pain killers since then. After the operation pain went away I have not had to take a pain killer since. Im not saying it's easy, it's not. The days following the operation is the hardest part to get thru. Plus you really have to dedicate yourself to doing the physio right. But all im saying is don't discount it because of your age.

If you want to know anything else feel free to ask me :)
hope this helps
bec.

Fadedsun
you are lucky that you made it to the age that you are now. My hips failed at 10 and probably ealier than that. You will eventually have problem even sitting with your legs in front of you. That was the end for me. I finally convinced my parents that I was in extreme pain and the morning of my doctors appointment I slipped very slightly on a wet bathroom floor and that was all she wrote. I had emergency surgery on my 11th birthday and had knowles pins 4 and 2 days later had to have 4 more pins in the other side. I am now experiencing extreme pain some days. I am just glad that I did not take vioxx and celebrex years ago because I could have died. I dont like taking pain killers because you become dependent and it will eventually destroy your life also. Because your mind will never be clear if you know what I mean. As a female stand sexually has been bleak due to positions that you will not be able to get in due to your restriction in your hip. And it becomes painful sometime if you stay in one place. Get it checked out and dont take no for a answer. I have been told that I am still too young but I am 40 and I want some type of a normal painfree existance. You know I think we have a strong will because as you can see we are not alone and endure pain alot.

Check out the posts on slipped capital femoral epiphysis. That's what I have and as far as I can tell everyone that gets this will require a hip replacement at some point in their life!

As to your question, i, personally, would be willing to kill to get a new hip... I don't dream about money or dates or any of the normal dreams! I dream of being flayed out on a doctors table having a new hip put in!!

I'm only 25 and my whole life has been on hold since age 11 when I first got diagnosed...

If I could do it all over again I would not hold in my complaints because of the pain and stand on the doctor's desk screaming until they fixed me while I had great health insurance!

If your life is being affected by the disorder then don't hesitate to get fixed! Just make sure that you check out all the options before hopping to the replacement. The field of fixing hip's is advancing all the time and they might have a less intrusive fix for you issue!

Good luck!