Pietro Melloni, MD, PhD

The elbow is a complex joint. It links the shoulder and the hand, enhances the flexibility of hand motion, and transmits generated forces. The most common elbow injuries are related to chronic overuse, although the joint is vulnerable to acute trauma as well.1 It may also be affected by disease or infection.

Hip replacement procedures are becoming in-creasingly common as the population ages. Degen-erative problems remain the main indication for this procedure, although patients with femoral head avascular necrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, complications of fracture, and hip dysplasia may also require hip replacement surgery.