Anterior hip replacements are gaining popularity over the traditional approach as they are proving to be better in many ways. It takes time to recover from any major surgery. But a hip replacement, like many other joint replacement surgeries, can leave you with a painful and long recovery.
Reduce Stress and Recovery Time
There is a way to reduce the pain and time it takes to recover. Simply change the surgical approach taken by your doctor. Instead of going to a doctor who uses the traditional method, find one that will use the anterior approach to hip replacement.
What's Different with the Anterior Approach?
The actual table the surgery is performed on is different. The modified design helps the surgeon reach areas that he would not normally be able to reach. This table makes the hip joint easily accessible from the front or side. The benefit of that is less tearing of muscles and not having to remove the muscle from the hip or thigh bones when replacing the hip. Since the muscles are left relatively undisturbed, this can reduce the pain felt during recovery time. It can also speed up recovery time by several months.
Fewer Dislocations: Many people who have had traditional hip replacement surgery face painful hip dislocations after the surgery as a complication. This can happen up to years after the surgery. With anterior hip replacement surgery, the risk of dislocation is drastically reduced. This is because of the position that the patient is in during surgery and reduced cutting of muscle tissue during the replacement.
Faster Ability to Bear Weight: Most patients have to wait days, up to a week or more, to start bearing weight and freely bend their new hip.
After anterior hip replacement surgery, some patients can immediately bend their hip freely and bear their full weight. This is very beneficial, especially to people with busy lives and careers to get back to.
Less Blood Loss: Another benefit of this approach is less blood loss. Any surgery has a risk of blood loss. The longer the surgery takes the higher risk of blood loss. Also the larger the incision is, the larger the risk of blood loss. Detaching muscle from the hip and thigh bones can also cause blood loss. Since the anterior approach does not require the muscle to be removed from the bone, the risk of blood loss from muscle detachment is nonexistent.
Less Physical Therapy: After hip replacement surgery, many people have to retrain their muscles because they have been removed from the bone. This takes a long time to do. Even after retraining your muscles to work properly, some people lose control of their muscles for a short period of time. With the anterior approach, people experience more accurate control of their leg after the surgery.
Faster Recovery: Many people want to go back to their normal lives quickly after any surgery. We all have lives, families, friends, and careers to return to. Nobody wants to take months out of their lives to recover from surgery. But that has been the reality for people that needed a hip replacement. Since this surgery is not elective, and it is done to improve mobility and quality of life, it is something that has to be done. With the anterior approach, people are getting back to their lives and daily routines quicker. That makes for happier and more satisfied patients, families, and friends.
Author Resource:-
Dr. Joel Matta is an orthopedic surgeon and the founder and director of the Hip and Pelvis Institute at St John's Health Center in Santa Monica, CA. He is accredited with the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. Dr. Matta has performed over 600 total hip replacement surgeries using the anterior approach. More information about the anterior approach can be found at http://www.hipandpelvis.com
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