Treatment Choice - Treatment Choice | Compare Prices | Find Hospital | A hip replacement is a common type of surgery where a damaged hip joint is replaced with an artificial one (known as a prosthesis). It might be necessary for you to have a hip replacement if one (or both) of your hip joints becomes damaged and causes you persistent pain or problems with everyday activities such as walking, driving and getting dressed. A hip replacement can be carried out under a general anaesthetic (where you are asleep during the procedure) or an epidural (where the lower body is numbed).<br/>The surgeon makes an incision into the hip, removes the damaged hip joint and then replaces it with an artificial joint that is a metal alloy or, in some cases, ceramic. The surgery usually takes around 60-90 minutes to complete.