What is minimally invasive hip replacement surgery?

• January 24, 2020

Different conditions and injuries can cause pain in your hips, which makes it difficult for you to get around or do anything you love. Many cases of hip pain are treatable with medication and physical therapy, but surgery is necessary in some instances.

Being told you need hip replacement surgery can be scary. Traditionally, hip replacement surgery is invasive and requires a lot of time for recovery. However, there is a more minimally invasive option: anterior hip replacement surgery.

What is anterior hip replacement surgery?

Your doctor may recommend hip replacement surgery if your hip joint is damaged enough that noninvasive treatments cannot treat it. Anterior hip replacement is a minimally invasive form of hip replacement surgery. This is because it approaches your hip joint from the front instead of the side or rear.

Making an incision in the front of your hip prevents having to cut many muscles, which is what happens during traditional hip replacement surgery. Cutting muscles causes recovery times to be longer and more painful than necessary.

Anterior hip replacement surgery is not as common as posterior hip replacement surgery because it’s newer; fewer orthopedic surgeons know how to do it, and even fewer have extensive experience. Accessing the hip joint from the front limits the view, but with a skilled-enough surgeon, this isn’t a problem.

Is anterior hip replacement surgery safe?

As with any major surgery, anterior hip replacement comes with some risks. Since it is a technically challenging procedure, it’s important to select a surgeon who is skilled enough to minimize these risks and produce excellent results.

The risks of anterior hip replacement surgery include:

• Nerve damage — This is a risk if your anterior hip replacement is performed by an unskilled surgeon.
• Infection
• Loss of blood
• Blood clots
• Dislocation of the hip joint
• Altered leg length
• Bone marrow entering the bloodstream

At Phoenix Spine & Joint, our surgeons have performed hundreds of anterior hip replacement surgeries. Minimally invasive hip surgery is the only kind we do. Our facilities have a near zero percent infection rate. Our surgeries are so non-invasive, you can go home afterward, so you don’t have the risks of being in the hospital. You can be assured that you’re in good hands when you come to us for surgery.

Visit Phoenix Spine & Joint for anterior hip replacement surgery

Are you suffering from hip pain related to osteoarthritis? Anterior hip replacement surgery may be your best treatment option. We have a high success rate with this procedure at Phoenix Spine & Joint.

Would you like to have your own success story? Contact us today to talk to one of our care coordinators about anterior hip replacement surgery or schedule your free second opinion.