Personal Injury Law

Metal Wear Seems to be the Problem With Hip Implants

Every day in Tennessee people receive new hips. Perhaps they were injured in a fall. Maybe they suffer from arthritis. No matter what the cause, the replacement is meant to increase the patients' quality of living. In the vast majority of cases surgery followed by rehab does just this. It increases mobility and allows a person to get on with their life.

Unfortunately for some that is not the outcome. By now everyone has heard of the DePuy and Johnson & Johnson recalls on some of their artificial hips. This is due to excessive wear on the metal to metal ball and socket joints that make up the joint. Initially, metals used - cobalt and chromium - were though to be more durable than other types of metal and more suitable to this type of application.

What happens in some of these failures is that the friction of the joint causes metal debris to be generated. If this debris ends up being absorbed by the bloodstream or soft tissues, terrible side effects can occur including headaches, pain and stiffness in muscles and joints, short term memory loss, vision problems, chronic fatigue, mental confusion and new intolerances or allergies to certain foods.

Some are claiming the device companies rushed the products to market in order to increase revenues. Others say that doctors are at fault for inept installation. Whichever is the case, people are in pain from the procedure that was supposed to do just the opposite.

Full post as published by Tennessee Law Blog on October 20, 2010 (boomark / email).