Getting Help With My Leg

If you need a complete or partial hip replacement surgery procedure due to hip pain that has become too difficult to bear, then you should learn about all of your hip replacement surgery options and the advantages of each. While traditional posterior and lateral hip replacement procedures are still common, many patients are choosing the newer anterior hip replacement procedure instead of its traditional alternatives. 

While a surgeon accesses the hip bones through the back of the hip when performing a posterior hip replacement surgery and through the side when performing a lateral procedure, they instead access the joint through a small incision in the front of the hip when performing the anterior procedure. 

Read on to learn about several of the many benefits of the anterior hip replacement procedure when compared to more traditional hip surgery options. 

1. No Need to Cut Major Muscles or Tendons

A surgeon must cut through tendons and muscles after making a posterior or lateral incision in the hip to gain access to the hip bones. However, when performing an anterior hip replacement procedure, no major muscles or tendons typically need to be cut before performing replacement of the natural hip ball and/or socket.

When few to no muscles and tendons are cut during a hip replacement procedure, you can look forward to experiencing less pain during the recovery period, which naturally leads to the need for fewer pain medications. 

In addition, while there is always a risk of artificial hip dislocation during the hip replacement recovery process, this risk is lessened greatly when muscles and tendons are disturbed very little during the procedure. Intact muscles and tendons hold the replacement hip parts more firmly in place than those that have been cut and are in the process of healing. 

2. Short Recovery Time

Another benefit of the anterior hip replacement procedure is a relatively short recovery period compared to the recovery periods patients experience after more traditional hip replacement procedures. In fact, not only do patients typically leave the hospital sooner after an anterior hip replacement procedure is performed, but they also tend to spend much less time in physical therapy sessions learning to walk on their "new" hips. 

While there are several reasons for this shorter recovery period, it is partially due to the fact that tendons and most muscles are not disturbed during this hip replacement surgery type. 

3. General Anesthesia Is Not Always Necessary

While many surgeries are performed under general anesthesia, this anesthesia type does come risks, such as the development of rare side effects. The good news is that while anterior hip replacement can be performed under general anesthesia, it can also be performed under regional anesthesia, which numbs the surgery area while the patient stays fully alert during the procedure. 

If you suspect you may need a hip replacement surgery, then keep these three benefits in mind as you decide which hip replacement surgery type may be best for you. Contact a facility that provides anterior hip replacement procedures for more information.