SAN DIEGO -- Doctors are using hip resurfacing as a new way to replace worn out hips.

The procedure can spare the bone so younger patients with bad hips can remain physically active.

Kevin McCarey is a seasoned athlete and has been waiting for this day. He is undergoing an alternative to hip replacement called Birmingham Hip Resurfacing.

“This procedure is designed for younger people with arthritic hips. It’s a bone-saving procedure; it doesn’t remove the femoral head,” said Scripps orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Kimball.

Kimball is one of the first doctors in San Diego to use the new method.

"It's a bone preserving procedure. You don't remove any of the bone, you take off the cartilage and put this metal cap in place,” said Kimball.

Instead of removing and replacing the entire ball of the hip, Kimball only shaves off a portion and caps it with a metal implant.

"This (cup) is going to go down the femoral neck and this (metal implant cap) is going to go into the cup we just put in there,” said Kimball.

The polished cup and cap go over the femur and then the body's own joint fluid provides the lubrication to allow the joint to move freely.

Six weeks after hip resurfacing surgery, McCarey said, “It’s just amazing how fast you come back. The pain is completely gone out of my hip.”

McCarey is back to doing intense two to four-hour daily workouts and feeling stronger than ever.

Patients younger than 60 years of age are candidates for the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure.

Patients with low bone density should not have the procedure done because they could be at risk for fractures, according to doctors.

The procedure was recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but it has been used for more than a decade in England and Canada.

Birmingham Hip Resurfacing is covered by most health insurance.