Constrained socket:
The standard socket covers just about half of the ball on top of the femoral component. There is no "attachment" of the ball to the socket and that is the reason why the ball can dislocate or slip out of the socket sometimes.

The constrained socket differs from the standard socket in that it covers more than half of the femoral ball. The design is such that the ball can "snap fit" into the socket following which a lock prevents the ball from slipping out again. While the socket stops episodes of dislocations, it has some downsides as well. The most important of these is that there is a higher risk of loosening of the constrained socket as compared with the standard one.

Back to insufficient soft tissue tension

Back to surgery for dislocating hips

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