Some people who have had an artificial hip joint for 10 to 15 years
have some loosening of the joint.
Loosening is less common (fewer than 1 in 100 people within 5 years
after surgery) with newer methods, though experts have less long-term
information about techniques that have been used in the last 5 years. People
who have hip replacement surgery today may expect their joints to remain stable
longer than those of people who had the surgery 10 or 20 years ago.
Loosening is more common in people who are overweight.