When you are a young, active person with arthritis of the hip that isn't improving with conservative treatment, hip resurfacing is an option to consider. Like hip replacement, resurfacing repairs the joint to relieve hip pain. Just a few millimeters of bone are shaved from the hip, and joint surfaces are then capped with metal implants. The surgeon's level of experience with hip resurfacing is most important; therefore, the selection of the right surgeon is crucial for a successful outcome. Hip resurfacing is not for everyone. But for the active person with hip pain due to arthritis, hip resurfacing has many advantages over hip replacement and can lead to a return of normal lifestyle and activity. The potential advantages of hip resurfacing compared to THR include less bone removal (bone preservation), a reduced chance of hip dislocation due to a relatively larger femoral head size (giving the patient an anatomically correct femoral head size), and easier revision surgery for any subsequent revision to a THR device because a surgeon will have more original bone stock available. The potential disadvantages of hip resurfacing are femoral neck fractures (rate of 0-4%), aseptic loosening, and metal wear.