Bone Health: Keeping Everyone In Your Family Healthy

When you have severely worn hip joints, you could need hip replacement surgery to maintain your mobility. Your doctor may have a choice of doing traditional posterior hip surgery or anterior hip surgery. Both can result in a successful outcome.

However, anterior hip replacement surgery has some extra advantages. It is also not for everyone. Keep reading to learn more about anterior hip replacement procedures and whether you may be a candidate.

What Is Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?

Anterior means "front," as in the front of your body. With an anterior hip replacement, the surgeon makes the incision and performs the procedure from the front of your hip. Some surgeons use a combination of a side and front approach. This procedure is a very specialized type of hip surgery and requires an experienced and knowledgeable surgeon.

Posterior hip replacement surgery is much more common. The surgeon makes the incision in the back of the hip. Many surgeons prefer this technique because they get a better view of the hip structure. However, it has several drawbacks even if the surgeon uses minimally invasive techniques.

What Are the Benefits of Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?

Anterior hip replacement surgery generally has a smaller incision and does not cut through muscles and tendons. As a result, many people experience less pain and complications from the surgery. They have less chance of the implant becoming dislocated than the posterior approach.

Patients may spend less time in the hospital and experience a faster recovery because the muscles and tendons remain intact. You may be able to return to your normal activities much more quickly compared to if you had posterior hip replacement surgery.

Who Are the Best Candidates of Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery?

Like any surgery, you will need to go through a health assessment and potentially make lifestyle changes before the procedure. If you are obese, you may not be a good candidate. Likewise, the surgeon may have difficulty performing the surgery if you have a lot of muscle mass. Since the surgery is more complicated, it takes more time. Excess or more difficult tissue adds time to the procedure and could increase the chance of complications.

To get the best results from anterior hip replacement surgery, see an experienced surgeon. The best surgeon for this approach knows all the latest techniques and has the needed specialized equipment. Your doctor and surgeon will assess you to see if anterior hip replacement surgery is right for your case. For further questions and information, talk to your doctor.