ANTERIOR APPROACH HIP REPLACEMENT

What total-hip surgery options are there?
Our surgeons help decide which options are open to you given a number of facts. Operations to replace hips are quite often the final step in a treatment cadence. Surgery types vary by practice, surgeon, patient demographic, type of injury, trauma or joint dysfunction, as well as many other factors. Traditional surgical options are commonly referred to as lateral or posterior approach hip replacements. These surgeries are quite invasive, and typically have much steeper and far longer road to recovery.


In many cases optional ‘Minimally Invasive Techniques’ are open to our patients. At Bone and Joint Physicians, our preferred minimally invasive hip replacement method is known as the Anterior Approach. This originally European method was brought to the USA in 1996 by Dr. Joel Matta (Los Angeles, CA), but dates back to 1947. Our physicians have been trained in the Matta method during actual surgeries with Dr. Joel Matta himself.

What are the differences?
Traditional surgeries will require that muscles must be cut away from bone in order to reach the joint that will be replaced. Due to the advanced computerized assisted surgery (CAS) navigation methods and specialized ‘Arch-Table’ types of surgical tables and tools developed for Anterior Approach hip replacements, muscle masses remain connected to bone. Together with Ingalls Health System, our physicians have developed an Anterior Approach program utilizing all of the latest BrainLAB CAS and HANA hip and knee arthroplasty table technologies to ensure the highest success using this method of hip replacement.


How does the Anterior Approach affect my recovery?
By using the Anterior Approach, almost all patients’ recovery times are drastically reduced versus a traditional approach. With this minimally invasive operation a patient’s range of motion is improved or normal after surgery, and most people can resume their normal daily activities as soon as they can bear to do so. Preserving the soft-tissues and gluteal muscles allows for a much quicker rehabilitation. Our physicians will discuss your expected outcomes with you prior to determining which surgery is right for you.

An added benefit to the Anterior Approach and CAS systems is that incisions are generally smaller with minimal scarring. Stability is also far greater, and patients not confined to a wheelchair and are typically walking within days without the assistance of a walker. Patients will also be sitting in a normal manner far sooner than those patient who undergo traditional procedures.

What’s the next step?
Setup an office appointment to speak to one of our Anterior Approach Hip Replacement Surgeons. We will help make the determination if this replacement surgery is right for you. Please call (708) 280-5362, or you can call our Scheduling Department at (708) 423-8440, option #1.