Each year in the U.S., more than 330,000 people have surgery to replace diseased, injured or worn-out hips with new artificial parts, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The typical hip replacement patient is between 50 and 80 years old. But recommendations for surgery are based on a person's pain and disability, not age. Regardless of age, most people who have hip replacement surgery experience a dramatic reduction in pain and a noticeable improvement in mobility and quality of life.

“In general, people are candidates for an artificial hip if they have hip pain or stiffness that limits walking, bending or other everyday activities like getting in and out of a chair or putting on socks and shoes, have hip pain that continues at night or while at rest during the day, have tried other treatments-like medications, physical therapy, or a cane or walker without much success, and are healthy enough for surgery and rehabilitation afterward,” says Watson Clinic board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist Dr. Marc Volpe.

Whether to have your hip replaced is a decision best made after talking with your primary care doctor, an orthopedic surgeon and your family.