[calamari4065]

Compared to a broken hip, literally anything is better. Compared to a healthy hip, a replacement is always worse.

Which is the precise reason we only do joint replacements after the joint is beyond repair. We don't do hip replacements on healthy 28 year old marathon runners. To do so would markedly reduce their quality of life in both the long and short term.

Again, most orthopedic patients will tell you that a replaced or repaired joint is never the same as it was when it was healthy. But living with such a damaged joint is so incredibly painful and difficult that anyone would choose surgery every time.

If your daily life is 9/10 pain, a 3/10 seems like a godsend. If you live your life with no pain, opting for surgery that leaves you with 3/10 for the rest of your life is a pretty bad decision.