Hip replacement surgery is one of the most common orthopedic surgeries performed in the United States each year, and has brought relief to millions who have suffered from painful conditions like osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis.
But despite developments made in the past few decades, the procedure still carries potentially serious risks for some patients, especially those who received metal-on-metal (MOM) hip implants.
MOM implants are those in which the “ball” and “socket” of the hip joint are both made from an alloy that includes cobalt and chromium. With the friction that occurs from normal wear and tear, metal particles are shed into the surrounding tissues and bloodstream. An accumulation of these particles can result in harmful metallosis, (metal toxicity), or cobaltism from shed cobalt particles, which can lead to symptoms ranging from tissue death and bone loss to neurological complications that mimic Alzheimer’s disease….