Health eMinutes

Not Your Father's Hip Replacement


There's a new kind of hip replacement surgery that's less invasive than previous versions. It's called anterior hip replacement and it's a technique that minimizes the pain and the time it takes to recover after surgery.

The anterior approach to hip replacement surgery allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip as opposed to the lateral (side) or the posterior (back) approach. This means the hip can be replaced without detachment of muscle from the pelvis or femur during surgery. The surgeon can simply work through the natural interval between the muscles. The most important muscles for hip function, the gluteal muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur, are left undisturbed and, therefore, do not require a healing process to recover from surgical trauma.

Anterior hip replacement allows patients to immediately bend their hip freely and bear full weight when comfortable, resulting in a more rapid return to normal function. After surgery, patients are instructed to use their hip normally without cumbersome restrictions. In supervised therapy, patients go up and down stairs before their hospital release.

Candidates for anterior hip replacement surgery include people suffering from arthritis, hip pain, stiffness and limited hip movement. If you'd like to learn more about anterior hip replacement, call the North Memorial Joint Replacement Center at (763) 520-1800.