Grades 7-12

Tips for using the site with students      

1. Before using this activity in class (or at home with your kids) go through the activity once to make sure it works correctly on your computer(s).
2. WARNING: Some of the photographs and procedures in this surgery activity are rather graphic.
3. Your computer(s) will need to have some sort of sound output. Either speakers or headphones will work well. The majority of this activity has voice audio. We highly recommend headphones in a classroom setting. Hearing impaired students can turn on the subtitles by clicking the button in the upper right corner of the screen.
4. Students in the target grade-range will take approximately eight to fifteen minutes to complete surgery working individually or in groups of two to three. Some students can get queasy using this activity, particularly looking at the photos of real surgery. We recommend keeping a close eye on students when they experience this activity for the first time.
5. After students use the site, teachers may want to discuss with their class why certain steps of surgery occurred in the order they did or why these steps were performed at all. Leading questions such as “why do you think the surgeon slices through the muscles in the direction the fibers run, instead of across the muscle fibers?” will get students thinking about WHY various steps exist or why they are accomplished as they are. Teachers can also ask questions such as, “what do you think the FIRST hip replacement surgery was like and how do you think it differed from today’s surgery?”

Answers to Questions in the Game     

Q1. Which hip do you think needs surgery?
A1. The patient’s right hip (the one on the left in the x-ray).

Q2. Why is it critically important to protect the sciatic nerve throughout this procedure?
A2. The patient won’t be able to use her leg again if this is severely damaged or cut. 

Q3. Why should we try to ream more towards the top of the acetabulum?
A3. The worn, or sclerotic, bone at the top of the cup is harder to ream than the bone at the bottom.

Q4. Why does the plastic liner offer more coverage at the top, back part of the cup?
A4. This extra coverage prevent the most common form of dislocation.

Q5. why does the patient have osteophytes?
A5. The hip bones compensate for excessive wear by growing osteophytes.

Virtual Hip Replacement Surgery Student Worksheet (optional)

Virtual Hip Replacement Surgery Student Worksheet Teacher Version

Virtual Hip Replacement Surgery Student Quiz

Virtual Hip Replacement Surgery Student Quiz Teacher Key

Ohio Science Standards      

Science and Technology

Grades 6-8:

1. Give examples of how technological advances, influenced by scientific knowledge, affect the quality of life.
2. Design a solution or product taking into account needs and constraints (e.g., cost, time, trade-offs, properties of materials, safety and aesthetics).

Scientific Inquiry

Grades 6-8:

1. Explain that there are differing sets of procedures for guiding scientific investigations and procedures are determined by the nature of the investigation, safety considerations and appropriate tools.

Scientific Ways of Knowing

Grades 11-12:

1. Explain how ethical considerations shape scientific endeavors.
2. Explain how societal issues and considerations affect the progress of science and technology.

National Science Standards     

Content Standards

Grades 5-8:

1. Understandings about scientific Inquiry.
2. Understanding of structure and function in living systems, reproduction and heredity.
3. Abilities of technological design and understandings about science and technology.
4. Personal health risks and benefits, science and technology in society.

Grades 9-12:

1. Understandings about scientific inquiry.
2. Matter, energy and organization in living systems and behavior of organisms.
3. Abilities of technological design, understandings about science and technology.
4. Natural and human-induced hazards, science and technology in local, national, and global challenges.
5. Understanding of the nature of scientific knowledge and science as a human endeavor.