Take a guess — how many hip replacements do you think are performed each year? The answer may surprise you: 544,000.
Another factor that’s impacting these numbers is that hip replacement recipients are no longer just people over 60. Over one quarter of patients are under 55, due in part to people being generally more physically active throughout their lives now and not wanting to compromise future freedom of movement and quality of life.
However, many other factors contribute to the need for replacement, such as osteoarthritis, injury, and more.
One surgical technique that’s revolutionized the field of hip replacement surgery is anterior entry — or making a small incision in the front of your hip that allows the surgeon to remove damaged cartilage and bone before implanting the artificial hip.
As a seasoned orthopedic surgeon who’s keen to adopt proven, innovative techniques, Dr. Vasilios Mathews has eagerly embraced this anterior approach surgery for patients who are good candidates for it because it offers meaningful, lasting benefits.
As your dedicated partner in care, Dr. Mathews carefully evaluates your specific situation through comprehensive research on your case, detailed conversations with you, and the review of imaging tests such as X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and computed tomography (CT).
First, it’s important to understand that anterior hip replacement is a minimally invasive surgery, meaning that — as we noted — Dr. Mathews needs only make a small incision using specially designed tools to perform the hip replacement, as opposed to traditional surgery, where a large incision is made on the back or side of the hip.
Minimally invasive surgery is associated with:
Minimally invasive surgical techniques have become a standard option for many procedures, including spinal and heart surgery, and it’s proven particularly effective in orthopedic surgery.
Because anterior approach hip replacement surgery is minimally invasive, it’s typically performed as outpatient surgery, with a one-day stay at most. With outpatient surgery, not only are you back in the comfort of your own home the same day as your surgery, but you’re usually moving out of the hospital within mere hours of your procedure.
This advanced procedure overall (including anterior and other types) enjoys an impressive 90-95% success rate 10 years post-surgery and 80-85% after 20 years.
When Dr. Mathews performs an anterior approach hip replacement, he makes a very small incision and removes the damaged ball of your thigh bone and places a prosthesis. After surgery and recovery, your hip behaves and moves just like your own hip did when it functioned properly and painlessly.
In addition to the benefits of minimally invasive procedures we listed earlier, an anterior hip replacement has produced other beneficial outcomes, including better gait mechanics for patients, superior artificial hip stability, and no need for postsurgical movement restrictions to avoid dislocation.
Learn more about anterior hip replacement surgery by scheduling a consultation with Dr. Mathews. Simply call our office at 713-794-3548 or use our convenient online booking tool.
