Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
Potentiodynamic Corrosion Testing
Published on: September 4, 2016
Activity levels and polyethylene wear of patients 10 years post hip replacement
D Bennett1, L Humphreys, S O'Brien
1Outcomes Assessment Unit, Musgrave Park Hospital, Northern Ireland, UK. damien.bennett.mph@hotmail.com
Background:
Wear of the acetabular cup and implant loosening in total hip arthroplasty are thought to be affected by individual patient activity levels.
Methods:
Activity levels of 100 patients with unilateral primary hip replacements were measured using a digital pedometer 10-years post-operatively.
Findings:
Activity rates of hip replacement patients 10 years post surgery were found to fall with increasing age strata, with the age group 70-74 years showing significantly reduced activity rates compared to the 55-64 years age group and the age group greater than 80 years showing significantly reduced activity rates compared to both the 55-64 years age group and the 65-69 years age group. However, a clear correlation between age and activity was not found. Acetabular cup wear showed no relationship with patient activity levels.
Interpretation:
Progressive reduction in activity levels with more elderly hip replacement patients may inform long term planning of hip arthroplasty and implant choice.
