Some people who have had an artificial hip joint for 10 to 15 years have some loosening of the joint.

Loosening is less common (fewer than 1 in 100 people within 5 years after surgery) with newer methods, though experts have less long-term information about techniques that have been used in the last 5 years. People who have hip replacement surgery today may expect their joints to remain stable longer than those of people who had the surgery 10 or 20 years ago.

Loosening is more common in people who are overweight.