Am I a candidate for Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Surgery?

Joint Replacement & Reconstruction

Please read the information below to assess whether you may be a candidate for minimally invasive hip replacement surgery.

Anatomy of the Hip

A normal hip is composed of two parts: the acetabulum "socket" or "cup," and the femur (thighbone) "head" or "ball." A protective, smooth material called cartilage covers both and acts as a cushion to allow the hip joint to move easily and painlessly.

Common Hip Disorders

In many situations, the cartilage around the hip joint is destroyed and the smooth contact between the cup and the femur bone becomes disrupted. This leads to pain, stiffness, difficulty walking and decreased quality of life.

Osteoarthritis

The most common type of arthritis, osteoarthritis generally develops from "wear and tear." As we age, most of us will develop degenerative arthritis of one or more joints. This arthritis is characterized by destruction of cartilage and bony overgrowth (bone spurs). The most severe cases will have no cartilage and, instead, will have bone-on-bone contact.

Avascular necrosis

Characterized by localized bone death, avascular necrosis results from disruption of blood flow to the femoral head. The bone death may be painful and usually causes the bone to collapse, eventually leading to joint destruction and arthritis.

Rheumatoid arthritis

A chronic disorder, rheumatoid arthritis may involve multiple joints and can occur at any age. This is an inflammatory process that causes destruction of the joints by erosion of cartilage and eventually bone destruction.

Total Hip Replacement Surgery

Your doctor may have told you that you are a candidate for hip replacement surgery. This surgery removes the damaged femoral head and resurfaces the joint with metal and plastic, allowing for a new, smooth articulation between the ball and socket. The procedure will decrease pain and stiffness and restore function.

Standard surgical incision for hip replacement

The standard surgical incision is between 10 to 14 inches. The incision is through the skin, muscles, tendons and ligaments.

Minimally invasive total hip procedure

The minimally invasive procedure involves the use of the same prosthesis as a regular hip surgery, but is performed using small incisions. The smaller incisions cause less soft tissue disruption, meaning decreased postoperative pain and a quicker recovery. We use a few different procedure methods. These methods reduce the incision to less than four inches. This small incision disrupts less skin, muscles and ligaments; therefore, causing less pain and allowing for a faster recovery. The components inserted are usually cementless, but may be cemented.

At this time, just about every patient is a candidate for the minimally invasive hip replacement procedure at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.

Other factors relative to your medical condition may apply. Contact a Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush specialist to see if you are a candidate.

For an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement surgery, call 877 MD BONES (877.632.6637).