Editorial Commentary: The Child of 2 Mothers: Hip Preservation and Hip Arthroplasty

Abstract

Two orthopaedic disciplines see the same hip joint from a different angle. The arthroplasty specialist corrects the hip joint osteoarthritis by replacing the hip, while the arthroscopy specialist preserves the joint by correcting the mechanical aberrations. Although both of these approaches are well documented in the literature, some patients who undergo hip preservation surgery will have a subsequent hip replacement. The coexistence of these 2 disciplines, that is, preservation and replacement, could seemingly depend on the effect of a primary preservation surgery on a subsequent replacement. In this commentary, we discuss the effect of hip arthroscopy on a subsequent hip arthroplasty and how these findings lead to harmony between the arthroscopy specialist and the arthroplasty specialist.