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Hip Replacement Q & A


Why should I consider hip replacement surgery?

Hip replacements can help restore your active lifestyle, extend your life expectancy, and raise your retirement age. The procedure involves removing the diseased portions of a hip and replacing it with artificial joints made from plastic and metal components.

When you find that nonsurgical treatments to reduce hip pain and stiffness fail to work, this surgery may be your best option. Consider hip replacement surgery if you have:

  • Hip damage due to osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis
  • Hip joint damage resulting from fracture or trauma
  • Hip pain that won’t respond to corticosteroid injections, pain medications, or physical therapy

Hip replacement surgery is done in as minimally invasive a way as possible, allowing for faster recovery and restoration of function. 

What is a direct anterior total hip replacement?

Traditional hip replacement surgery involves cutting through large muscles to get to the hip joint. 

Whenever possible, the team at Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center recommends an anterior total hip replacement instead. This procedure means your surgeon accesses your hip from the front of your body so they don’t have to cut through as many muscles and tendons. 

The direct anterior approach is so minimally invasive, many patients go home the day of surgery. They’re able to recover faster, incur less blood loss, and experience a faster return to normal activities. 

What should I expect after hip replacement surgery?

After hip replacement surgery, you’ll likely experience a dramatic reduction in your hip pain and an improvement in your ability to do regular day-to-day activities. While you’ll want to remain active, you should keep high-impact exercise, like running and jumping, to a minimum and avoid excessive activity. 

Try to achieve or maintain a healthy weight to reduce the wear-and-tear on your prosthetic joint. With appropriate activity modifications and a healthy lifestyle, hip replacements can last for 10-20 years — or even longer. 

If you have hip pain that’s interfering with your daily activity and quality of life, call Nevada Orthopedic & Spine Center to explore your treatment options. The team can recommend hip replacement surgery or another procedure that can bring you relief. Call one of the offices today to set up your appointment, or book using the online tool.