My dad recently had a fall and broke his femoral neck. We rushed him to the emergency and the surgeon performed a hemiarthroplasty on his right hip. A hemiarthroplasty is similar to a total hip replacement, but it involves only half of the hip. (Hemi means half, and arthroplasty means joint replacement.) The hemiarthroplasty replaces only the femoral head (ball portion of the hip joint), not the acetabulum (the socket portion). In a total hip replacement, both the acetabulum and the femoral head are replaced.
 
The surgery was a complete success. He was able to get up and walk a couple of steps with the help of a walker the next day after his surgery which to me was amazing. Apparently, this is encouraged with good reasons. Patients are advised to get moving as soon as possible after surgery to reduce the risk of thrombophlebitis which can occur after any operation, but it is more likely to occur following surgery on the hip, pelvis, or knee.  Thrombophlebitis occurs when blood clots form in the large veins of the leg. If the blood clots in the veins break apart, they can travel to the lung, where they lodge in the capillaries and cut off the blood supply to a portion of the lung which can cause pulmonary embolism, a potential lethal problem. Another preventative measure they did was to put pressure stockings to keep the blood in the legs moving. Some of the other complications following hemiarthroplasty of the hip include anesthesia complications, infection, dislocation of the hip joint, loosening of the metal or cement from the bone and continued pain. 
 
He is home recovering now and the progress is satisfactory. Besides taking his regular medications, he is also taking a joint and bone building supplement, vitamins C, D & K2 to help with his total recovery.