Tuesday, December 9, 2003; Page HE02

In July, an acute pain in his left hip led Ray Charles to cancel a tour, a first in 53 years of performing. Last month, he had the hip replaced.

Charles, 73, may be a unique musician, but his case is common -- about 200,000 people in the United States get a new hip each year.

A layer of cartilage covers and cushions the ball and socket that make up the hip joint. When the cartilage deteriorates, those two bones rub painfully together. The solution: plastic, titanium, even ceramic prosthetics. It's durable stuff: For most patients, says Khaled J. Saleh, assistant professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Minnesota, a new hip will last 20 years.

Rehabilitation starts as soon as the anesthetic wears off. "The technique is minimally invasive and allows me to walk a patient that day or the next," says Thomas Sculco, surgeon-in-chief at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York.

Charles's publicist said he spent seven days in the hospital and is planning a March tour.

Recent research advises against putting off surgery once the need is determined: "You just get weaker and more immobile [as you wait]," says Sculco, "which lessens the chance of fully regaining motion."

Charles agrees. "Suffering with pain long-term is just not the best option," he said in an e-mail .

-- Matt McMillen