Hip Replacement Surgery

• Total hip replacement: As the hip is a ball-and-socket joint, a replacement typically involves replacing the “ball” atop your thigh bone as well as the “socket,” which is the pelvic area. This type of hip replacement surgery is the most common.
• Partial hip replacement: If the damaged part of the hip is isolated to a specific area, our surgeons may recommend a partial hip replacement where only the ball is replaced. Partial hip replacement is only performed for hip fractures and is not an effective treatment for arthritis.

When performing a hip replacement, a surgeon can access the hip from different angles. All approaches to the hip have excellent long-term outcomes. Your doctor will determine what type of approach is best for you.

Three common ways to approach the hip joint during the procedure are:

• Anterior approach: The surgeon makes an incision in the front of the hip. This approach has been gaining in popularity due to a minimally invasive approach, fewer activity restrictions and precautions, and a faster recovery.
• Posterior approach: The surgeon makes an incision at the back of the hip. This has been the most popular approach for quite some time.
• Direct superior approach: This is a modification of the posterior approach, with a smaller posterior incision. It is a less invasive surgery that offers a quicker recovery, similar to the anterior approach.

• The most common condition that patients get hip replacement surgery for is osteoarthritis, which is the most common type of arthritis. It is caused by wear and tear and causes pain and stiffness in joints.
• Other conditions that hip replacement surgery may treat include:
  • Avascular necrosis
  • Certain types of hip fractures: Specifically, femoral neck fractures can be treated with a hip replacement in higher demand patients.
  • Dysplasia (abnormal shape of the hip ball or socket)
  • Hip injury
  • Rheumatoid arthritis or other types of arthritis

While hip replacement surgery is very common, the treatment is typically recommended for:

• Patients with severe hip damage due to arthritis or injury.
• Patients who experience severe hip pain to the point where everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, and standing up are painful and difficult.
• Patients who have not responded to other treatments like physical therapy, medications, injections, activity modification, or other surgical procedures.

Depending on their overall health and other factors, patients could go home the same day (outpatient, also known as “Same Day Discharge”) or they may require an overnight hospital stay for observation.

Physical therapy is sometimes, but not always, part of the recovery after hip replacement. Occasionally this will be started at your home in the first few days after surgery. Most but not all patients will do outpatient physical therapy for a few weeks after surgery.

Return to work and driving ability vary among patients depending on their function, pain, and your occupation. In order to drive, you must be off of all narcotic pain medications, and you must test your own ability to react and use the brakes appropriately. This is typically about 2-3 weeks after surgery.