However companies like Value Medicare in India ensure a hip replacement as cheap as $5,500. Indeed the cost varies from country to country. It is advisable to carefully select a medical tourism provider, and have a look at cost comparison between several of them.

The modern artificial joint owes much to the work of John Charnley at Wrightington Hospital; his work in the field of tribology resulted in a design that completely replaced the other designs by the 1970s. Charnley’s design consisted of three parts—

1. a metal (originally stainless steel) femoral component,
2. a teflon acetabular component which was replaced by Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene or UHMWPE in 1962, both of which were fixed to the bone using
3. PMMA (acrylic) bone cement,and/or screws.

The replacement joint, which was known as the Low Friction Arthroplasty, was lubricated with synovial fluid. The small femoral head (7/8″ (22.2mm)) was chosen for its decreased wear rate; however, this has relatively poor stability (the larger the head of a replacement the less likely it is to dislocate, but the more wear debris produced due to the increased surface area). For over two decades, the Charnley Low Friction Arthroplasty design was the most used system in the world, far surpassing the other available options (like McKee and Ring). Recently the use of a polished tapered cemented hip replacement (like Exeter) and uncemented hip replacements have become more popular. Once an uncommon operation, hip replacement is now common, even among active athletes including racecar drivers Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett. Musician Prince (musician) has also undergone hip replacement