Heterotopic ossification (HO) refers to bone formation in tissues other than normal bone tissue.HO is a common complication of total hip arthroplasty(THA). Current risk factors for HO formation include hip stiffness, male sex, and previous HO history.Most commonly, HO would be divided into four grades using the Brooker classification.The most effective preventive measures are radiation therapy or oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.The radiotherapy regimen is a postoperative one-time dose of 7 Gy.The most commonly used nonsteroidal drug to prevent HO is indomethacin, and ibuprofen has been shown to be effective.Selective cox-2 inhibitors are effective in preventing HO with less side effects.Symptomatic HO is treated with surgical excision or revision arthroplasty.This article would summarize the research progress on the influencing factors and preventive measures of HO after total hip arthroplasty.