Karen Harris
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
                    
                        
                        
                        Well, you're definitely pretty young for a total hip replacement.   But an arthoscopy procedure would not be that 'invasive' and might be beneficial if there are some pretty rough surfaces.    When I was nine years old, I had Legg-Perthes which flattened the femur head.  Then in 1971, I broke off two pieces of cartilage and had 'loose bodies' which required a 5 1/2 hour operation to remove!   If they had had arthoscopic surgery back then, they would have shaved the femur head as a preventive measure - so that I wouldn't have broken off those pieces in the first place!      I had a total hip replacement in 1998, at the age of 51, because my hip was 'shot' at that point.      Good luck!