Hip replacement surgery is one of the most serious surgeries an elderly person can face. Usually hip replacement surgery is the result of a degeneration of the hip joint. There are several causes for this degeneration. Perhaps of people knew the causes of hip degeneration, hip replacement surgery could be avoided.

Osteoarthritis is the most common cause of hip degeneration, and intern, hip replacement surgery. This occurs even without history of hip joint injury. Basically, the hip wears out. One of the main factors of osteoarthritis of the hip is the genetics. This is one of the causes of hip replacement surgery that really cannot be prevented.

Another cause of hip replacement surgery is avascular necrosis. This is when the ball part of the femur loses it's blood supply. This causes the femoral head to actually die. A dead bone can no longer be a supporting structure, so hip replacement surgery is frequently needed. The causes of avascular necrosis can be due to fractures or dislocations of the hip, cortisone treatment for different diseases, or alcoholism.

Abnormalities of the hip joint is another cause of hip replacement surgery. These can be from a childhood injury or an injury later on in life. When a hip joint is abnormal, it wears in places it should not wear. A good example is when a tire is out of balance on a car. The tire then wears out too soon. The tire is like an abnormal hip. It will end up leading to hip replacement surgery.

As you can see, there are a few things one can do to prevent hip replacement surgery. Avoid alcoholism. This doesn't mean you cannot drink, but excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to hip degeneration. Also, be sure to exercise often, but carefully. Exercising strengthens bones and muscles surrounding the bones. Be sure to use correct mechanics when exercising so as not to injure your hip.

The causes of hip replacement surgery/hip degeneration are numerous. Some tend to come with age and conditions out of our control, but others are preventable. Understanding how our body and joints work may help to reduce the occurrences of hip replacement surgery.