This is sometimes performed to provide pain relief in the younger patient. One type is the McMurray osteotomy, in which the femur is surgically divided between the greater and lesser trochanters and the shaft of the femur displaced medially, followed by internal fixation with a nail and plate. This redistributes the weightbearing stresses on the joint. Healing takes up to three months. It is frequently a holding operation until joint replacement is carried out later.