What is minimally invasive surgery?
Traditional surgical methods often involve cutting through muscle and leaving large scars behind. Minimally invasive surgery offers the same benefits of traditional surgery with significantly less damage to healthy tissue.
Although traditional surgery is sometimes necessary, Dr. Mathews uses minimally invasive techniques whenever possible. The exact method he uses depends on your particular condition, but most minimally invasive procedures require a smaller incision and use specialized tools to reduce the amount of damage to surrounding tissues.
Which minimally invasive procedures can treat knee and hip pain?
As an expert in minimally invasive knee and hip procedures, Dr. Mathews offers the following treatments:
Knee procedures
Dr. Mathews performs minimally invasive knee replacement surgeries whenever possible. This involves a 4-6 inch incision instead of an 8-10 inch cut. In addition, the approach to the knee deep under the skin is quadriceps tendon - sparing.
He also offers partial, unicompartmental, or custom knee replacement if only a portion of your knee is diseased or damaged.
Hip procedures
Dr. Mathews performs both minimally invasive posterior and anterior approach hip replacement surgeries, largely dependent on patient choice and underlying condition. Dr. Mathews is always happy to discuss the positives and negatives of each surgical approach with patients.
Stem cell injections
Dr. Mathews takes a conservative approach to treatment and maximizes all available therapies before recommending surgery. If you’re experiencing severe hip or knee pain, he may suggest stem cell or PRP or amniotic injections first.
These cells or growth factors may reduce pain and inflammation of arthritis.
ioveraº® injections
Dr. Mathews may suggest ioveraº injections to alleviate your pain from arthritis, or before or after surgery. These injections provide immediate pain relief by interrupting your body’s ability to send pain signals to your brain.
What are the benefits of minimally invasive techniques?
Minimally invasive techniques offer many advantages over traditional open surgery, such as:
- Less pain
- Smaller scars
- Shorter recovery time
- Faster return to normal activities
- Minimal damage to surrounding tissues
To find out if you’re a candidate for minimally invasive knee or hip surgery, or for alternative less-invasive treatments such as injections, call the office of Vasilios Mathews, MD, or book an appointment online today.
