Chronic hip pain can interfere with your day-to-day activities and make it difficult to move around comfortably. When you need your hip replaced, anterior hip replacement surgery provides certain benefits compared to other types of hip replacement surgery. Anterior hip replacement procedures involve making incisions in the front of the hip rather than on the side of it or behind it. Having this type of surgery done offers the following advantages.
Reduced Risk of Muscle Damage
During an anterior hip replacement, surgeons do not have to make incisions in major muscles as they do with posterior (behind the hip) and lateral (on the side of the hip) surgery. This means that there is a much lower risk of ending up with severe muscle damage. The front part of the hip doesn’t have as many muscles as the other parts of the hip, resulting in fewer incisions in muscle tissue.
Less Pain and Discomfort
You can expect some degree or discomfort and pain after having any type of hip replacement surgery. However, anterior hip replacement surgery typically causes less pain afterwards compared to posterior and lateral hip replacement surgery. With this reduced pain, you might not need as much pain medication after your procedure.
Shorter Recovery Time
Since surgeons aren’t cutting through major muscles for anterior hip replacement surgery, the recovery time is generally shorter. Your incisions might not take as long to heal, and the reduced pain after surgery also means you might be able to get back to your usual activities faster than you would with other kinds of hip replacement surgery. This shorter recovery time can be highly important if you need to get back to work.
Fewer Post-Surgical Restrictions
After you have hip replacement surgery, you won’t immediately be able to resume your usual activities. Your body needs time to heal from this type of procedure. However, the restrictions on activities after anterior hip replacement surgery are fewer than the restrictions for other types of hip replacement surgery. This means you can look forward to getting back to your normal activities sooner.
Reduced Risk of Post-Surgical Hip Problems
In some cases, hip dislocations might occur after hip replacement surgery. This risk might be lower with anterior hip replacement procedures than with posterior and lateral hip replacements. Your new hip after anterior hip replacement surgery should make it easier for you to walk or move around without having to worry about any problems occurring, such as dislocations.
If you’ve been dealing with chronic hip pain, please contact Huntington Orthopedic Institute in Pasadena. We provide different procedures to help you find long-term relief from hip pain, including anterior hip replacement surgery. Our orthopedic team can help you determine the best course of treatment for hip pain.