When persistent hip pain due to arthritis limits your daily activities, and conservative methods of treatment fail to provide relief, the minimally invasive Anterior Approach to hip replacement may be the perfect fit for you.
Benefits of the Anterior Approach may include:
Accelerated recovery time.
The Anterior Approach to hip replacement is a muscle-sparing procedure. Using a special table, our orthopaedic surgeons are able to access the hip joint from the front of the hip as opposed to the back as most surgeons do.
They use a natural division between muscles and there is no need to cut, split or detach muscles. The most important muscles for hip function and walking are left undisturbed and, therefore, do not require healing time to recover from surgical trauma. Most patients are walking just hours after their surgery without the typical limp associated with traditional approaches.
Fewer restrictions during recovery.
Classic post-operative hip precautions are unnecessary. Patients are able to freely move their hips soon after surgery with less concern for hip dislocations.
Shorter hospital stay.
Patients can be discharged from the hospital the very next day or soon thereafter.
Improved placement of the prosthesis.
Studies have shown that use of intra-operative X-rays improves the accurate placement of the hip prosthesis. Also, matching the leg lengths is improved with X-rays during the Anterior Approach.
Smaller incisions.
The Anterior Approach incision is typically 3-4 inches and more cosmetically appealing than the larger incision on the side of the hip.