Why Is Anterior Hip Replacement Beneficial?
Posted on: 27 April 2022
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If you are dealing with constant hip pain, it is time to seek treatment. Consistent hip pain can quickly deteriorate and can impact your day-to-day life. You may or may not need hip surgery. Your doctor may start with other forms of treatment, such as exercise, a walking aid like a cane, or medication. However, if these options do not help, your only recourse is likely going to be hip surgery.
Determining if you want to have hip surgery is a major decision, and you need to take many things into consideration, including recovery time, the level of help you will have at home afterward, and so on. You also need to think about the different types of hip surgery, including posterior and anterior hip replacement. Anterior hip replacement does have some additional benefits, which include the following:
Less Pain After Surgery
One of the benefits of anterior hip replacement surgery is a decrease in pain after the procedure. During a posterior hip replacement, the surgeon has to cut through major muscles in the leg. An anterior approach only requires the surgeon to cut through very few muscles, which means there is significantly less pain.
You also will have less muscle damage overall. Since the major muscle tissue is not cut during an anterior surgical approach, the surgeon does not have to reconnect or repair the tissue. This means your recovery will be easier as well.
Your Recovery Will Be Faster
Another major benefit to anterior hip replacement is a faster recovery period. You are better able to bear weight on the hip sooner than with a posterior surgery. You can be out of bed typically within a day's time. Since the pain is less and the muscle damage is decreased, you will be up and about sooner than later.
Your Risk of Hip Dislocation Is Lower
Your body naturally prevents your hip from dislocating due to the soft tissues and muscles that naturally surround the bone. If these muscles and tissues are severed during a posterior surgery, the protection from dislocation goes away. With an anterior surgery, your protection is not damaged since the surgeon does not have to cut through them, meaning your chance of dislocating your hip is much lower.
Your Range of Motion Will Improve More Quickly
With a posterior hip replacement, you are not able to bend the hip for a few months. You cannot swing the leg or rotate the hip in any way, as this motion can cause the hip to dislocate. You do not have to be concerned about this happening with an anterior hip replacement. You are allowed to move your hip in any way that is comfortable to you when you feel ready to do so.
Contact a medical professional to learn more about anterior hip replacement procedures.