If you’re of a certain age, it’s likely that you or someone you know has needed to have a joint replaced. As American’s life longer, it becomes a much more common procedure that allows us to lead the active, healthy lives that we want to, even as our natural joints wear out, which can cause pain and disability. One of the most common joints that must be replaced is the hip joint.

This means that in many instances, they are beginning to wear before we do! When this occurs, many patients turn to joint replacements, such as hip replacement. This allows for the enjoyment of the active lifestyle we’re used to, with natural movement. If you have had a hip replacement, or know someone who has, keep reading to find out about a Zimmer hip implant recall.

As we get older, our bodies of course don’t work the way that they used to. What used to be an easy task becomes a difficult one, and we feel more pain than we used to. But for some older Americans, this pain becomes debilitating, especially around their hips. This means that normal activities such as walking can be unbearably painful. It is for these people that Zimmer hip implants were targeted. By replacing their old, worn joint, the pain can be lessened considerably, or even ended, and they can get back to their normal, active lives.

Hip replacements have revolutionized the way that many Americans live their daily lives, and has allowed a great number to do so without pain. But because they are a mechanical replacement, they are known to fail, often within ten years. This means that at an even older age, a patient must go through another replacement surgery. The Zimmer hip implant was designed to change that. It was targeted at younger patients as a way to get the benefits of a hip replacement, but with a long lasting implant that would not need to be replaced, so that they could avoid further surgery.

The claim by the Zimmer hip implant representatives that it is long lasting have not at all stood the test of time. In one test clinic, fully twelve percent of patients receiving this implant needed to have their replacement replaced within two years. This means that not only did the implant fail, it did so quickly, meaning that patients told they would need only one surgery faced the fast prospect of another, and possibly of a third within their lifetime.

The Zimmer Durom company has denied that their Zimmer hip implant is this prone to failure, but in internal testing, their devices failed within seven percent of patients within the first two years. This is still an incredibly high rate. High enough, in fact, that the company pulled the replacement from the market in July of 2008. If you or someone you love has had a hip replacement, ask your doctor if it is the Zimmer hip implant. If it was, you may have the right to sue!