The goal of hip replacement surgery is to relieve pain and increase the mobility and function of a damaged hip joint. If a stiff, painful hip joint has forced you to cut back on everyday activities, successful surgery may allow you to resume them. Hip replacement is typically used for people with hip joint damage from arthritis or an injury. Followed by rehabilitation, hip replacement can relieve pain and restore range of motion and function of your hip joint.
Hip replacement is one of the most successful surgeries in the history of medicine. Since the first operation in 1960, joint replacement techniques and technology have increased the effectiveness of a total hip replacement. More than 285,000 total hip replacement surgeries are performed in the United States each year.
If your hip has been damaged by a fracture, arthritis, childhood disease, or other conditions, common activities like walking or putting on your shoes and socks may be painful struggle. If medication and/or the use of walking supports do not help your symptoms, you may consider hip replacement surgery. It is a safe and effective procedure that can help you get back to your old self.
Welcome from your surgeons, Sky Lakes Medical Center, and your health care team. We will all be working with you in partnership to prepare you for your joint replacement surgery. You are our most important team member. Together, we will accomplish our team goals of: effective preparation, successful surgical procedure, smooth recovery, and finally, a safe discharge.
Your care will be coordinated by your surgeon and a team of Sky Lakes Medical Center nurses. Other members of the health care team will also be available to assist you, as necessary. They include: physician assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and dietitians.
Our goal is to return you to your maximum functional ability. You play a vital role in reaching that goal. Recovery is a process that starts before you enter the hospital with education and participation. When you complete your hospital stay, recovery carries on at home and throughout your life. We could not achieve the expected outcomes without your hard work and effort.
We hope this information will assist you in preparing for your surgical procedure and will help to facilitate your recovery. Please, read it carefully and feel free to ask questions of any team member.
The Center for Total Joint and Spine Care hires the greatest Surgeons in the field. Click on any of them to learn more about them. If you have any quetions or want to make an appointment, feel free to contact the Center.
In traditional hip replacement surgery, the doctor cuts through the buttock muscles to reach the hip joint. Anterior hip surgery allows the doctor to cut through the front of the hip, using a small incision. In this approach, the surgeon is able to move the muscles aside rather than cutting through them.
Anterior hip replacement creates less damage and trauma to the soft issues around the hip, allowing a quicker recovery time. In addition, there is a lower risk of dislocating the new hip because muscles used to support the hip joint remain strong.
However, there’s a risk of damage to a nerve in the front of the leg during surgery, so some patients may feel numbness or tingling in the front of the leg. People who are large, or muscular, or who have a wide pelvis may not be eligible for anterior hip replacement.
Anterior hip replacement isn’t available in many communities because it requires special equipment in the operating room and specially trained surgeons. The Center for Total Joint and Spine Care has several orthopedic surgeons who are skilled and experienced in this type of hip replacement. They have done hundreds of anterior hip replacements, and are happy to consult with you if you’d like to explore this option.
Hip arthroscopy is minimally invasive surgery that allows your doctor to repair some painful hip problems using very small incisions, which results in faster, easier recovery.
Our orthopedic surgeons are highly skilled and experienced in hip arthroscopy. They usually perform the procedure in one of our outpatient surgery centers so patients do not need to stay overnight in a hospital.
During hip arthroscopy, your doctor inserts a small telescope called an arthroscope into your hip through an incision about the width of the top of a straw. Images of the inside of your hip are projected onto a computer screen. Your doctor makes one or more small cuts to insert miniature surgical tools that can shave, trim, stitch or smooth the damaged area of your hip. The doctor views the inside of your hip on the computer screen throughout the surgery.
Hip arthroscopy may be used to treat many problems with the cartilage and soft tissue in the hip, including:
Many people return to full activity after hip arthroscopy, although your recovery depends on the damage to your hip before surgery. Some people may need to modify high-impact activities such as running, and instead take up swimming or bicycling. Your doctor will outline the best activities for you.
Hip replacement surgery offers hope and concrete results for people who live with chronic hip pain and limited mobility. The surgery can ease pain and improve function in most people. Still, choosing hip replacement surgery requires careful planning and consideration. CTJSC orthopedists support you every step of the way.
Our surgeons are highly skilled in the latest techniques, resulting in faster recovery. Today, hip replacements last decades, improving the lives of many as we age. But it is important to have realistic expectations. After you recover from surgery, you should be able to do the activities you could do before your joint replacement, with less pain. The surgery won’t fix problems unrelated to joint pain.
During hip replacement surgery, your doctor removes damaged cartilage and the damaged bone on the head of your femur. This is called the femoral head, and it is part of your thigh bone. The surgeon also removes the damaged cartilage from within the hip socket. Then the surgeon inserts a new socket with a bearing surface made of strong, cross-linked polyethylene. The femoral head, made of either metal or ceramic, is attached to a metal stem piece that fits inside the hollow center of your femur.
Hip resurfacing is an alternative to a total hip replacement intended for younger, active adult men, particularly those 55 years old and younger.
In hip resurfacing, the head of your thighbone (femur) and the socket are trimmed and capped with cobalt chrome.
Hip resurfacing preserves more of a person’s natural bone than a traditional hip replacement. As you may know, in a total hip replacement the surgeon removes the entire femoral head and secures the artificial head onto a metal shaft placed down into the femur bone.
Because hip resurfacing cuts away less bone, patients are less likely to have different leg lengths after surgery. Also, if a second hip surgery is needed in the future, it’s an easier procedure. You can always have a total hip replacement after hip resurfacing, but you can never have hip resurfacing after a total hip replacement.
Hip resurfacing offers a few other key benefits:
The hip resurfacing implant has a larger head and cup than most traditional hip replacement implants. This allows for an increased range of motion and a decreased risk of hip dislocation.
The stem on a traditional hip replacement goes down the femur, whereas the hip resurfacing has a much shorter stem down the femoral neck. This decreases thigh pain felt after a total hip replacement, leading to quicker recovery.
The implant head and the cup are both made of cobalt chrome. This metal on metal component decreases wear on the implanted joint and reduces particulate debris.
Hip resurfacing is intended for young, active adults who are 55 or younger and have good bone density. Active adults 55 and younger may also be considered if their bones are sufficiently dense. Not everyone is a good candidate for hip resurfacing. In some people, hip arthritis results in deformity of the hip socket or the head of the femur. Hip resurfacing is not advised in these cases.
The Center for Total Joint and Spine Care offers a complete Hip Resurfacing Program, led by skilled surgeons who have extensive experience in this alternative to hip replacements. They are happy to consult with you if you’d like to explore this option.