Hip pain can make it difficult to walk, sleep or be actively involved in hobbies or sporting activities. If your pain persists and medications and exercises are not providing relief, you may be a candidate for hip replacement surgery.

This type of surgery replaces the damaged hip joint with a one made of metal, plastic or ceramic. To access the joint, the surgeon typically comes from behind or from to the side. This requires the surgeon to cut through muscles around the hip and leg bone.

But now, Mercy orthopedic surgeons are offering the direct anterior approach that causes less stress to the surrounding muscles and speeds recovery time.

About Anterior Hip Replacement

With an anterior approach, the orthopedic surgeon accesses the hip joint from the front, allowing the hip muscles to remain intact. A patient undergoing anterior hip replacement will most likely experience:

• Faster recovery. You can typically bend at the hip and bear weight as soon as it is comfortable after surgery.
• Decreased chance of hip dislocations. Since your surgeon disturbs fewer muscles and surrounding tissue, the new joint is more stable and less prone to dislocation.
• Improved range of motion. With anterior hip replacement, you are not required to maintain the same restrictive precautions that traditional hip replacement patients must follow. Soon after surgery, you can bend over or sit with your legs crossed, without the risk of hip dislocations.