Modern hip replacements can last well for up to 30 years
Published 9 March 2026
A recent international study examined the long-term survivorship of modern hip replacements and showed that contemporary bearing surface solutions appear to have significantly reduced the need for revision surgery.
Total hip replacement is one of the most successful surgical procedures worldwide. Each year it restores function and improves quality of life for millions of patients. For patients, surgeons, and healthcare systems alike, it is essential to know how long a hip implant is likely to last in order to plan treatment, follow-up, and resource allocation appropriately.
Over the past two decades, new so‑called modern bearing surface materials have been introduced. These innovations have reduced wear and may have extended the lifespan of implants. However, until now, no large-scale study had evaluated the long-term durability of these modern hip replacements.
In a recently published large study, modern bearing surface solutions were shown to have significantly reduced revision rates of hip replacements both in Finland and internationally.
The study began with a systematic literature review of modern hip replacement bearing surface combinations, including ceramic–ceramic, ceramic–polyethylene, and metal–polyethylene pairings.
“Current delta ceramics are no longer brittle and prone to chipping like earlier-generation products. Plastic technology has also advanced, and today polyethylene materials are cross-linked, which has improved their wear resistance,” explains the Finnish author of the study, Professor Keijo Mäkelä, specialist physician at Tyks Orto.
The study utilised data from all active national joint replacement registries in Western countries. These included Finnish hip replacement surgeries from the Finnish Arthroplasty Register. Mäkelä has chaired the expert group of the register maintained by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) since 2014. National registry data were also included from England, Australia, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark, as well as regional registries from the United States and Canada.
Based on registry data, the study assessed the long-term survivorship of nearly 1.9 million total hip replacements with different bearing surface options. The combined 20-year survivorship for all bearing surface types was an excellent 93.6%. Based on this, the estimated survivorship at 30 years was 92.1%.
From Finland, 97,876 hip replacement surgeries were included. According to the study, implant survivorship results in Finland were at a good international level. Modern bearing surfaces appear to perform well in the long term, with no significant differences in survivorship between the different bearing couples.
“Our findings can benefit both orthopaedic surgeons specialising in joint replacement and general practitioners when patients ask, at the time of surgery, how long their hip replacement is likely to last,” Mäkelä says.
The research article was published on 28 February 2026 in the flagship edition of The Lancet, one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals.