More younger patients having hip replacement operations

Hip replacements are no longer seen as a "last resort", with more younger patients opting for the surgery, an analysis of NHS data has revealed.

Hospitals saw a 76% increase in hip replacements for those aged 59 and under between 2004-5 and 2014-15, Royal College of Surgeons analysis of NHS data in England shows.

There was also a 47% increase in the number of hip replacements across all ages during this period.

Stephen Cannon, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons and an orthopaedic surgeon, said advances in hip replacement surgery had contributed to the rise.

"As hip replacement techniques and prosthetics have improved, so have the numbers of younger patients undergoing this type of surgery," he said.

"Chronic hip pain can have a devastating effect on quality of life and the ability to remain active. People don't want to live with this pain if they can confidently undergo a hip replacement that's successful and lasts. It's no longer seen as a last resort."

Mr Cannon added that confidence in the longevity of prosthetic hips among surgeons had also contributed to the rise.

The analysis, based on Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data for England, showed that in 2004-5 patients under 60 underwent 10,145 hip replacements, rising to 17,883 in 2014-15.

Across this period, the overall number of patients undergoing the procedure rose from 82,919 to 122,154.