potential for less pain, faster recovery and improved mobility.^1-3

The Anterior Approach for total hip replacementtotal hip replacementReplacement of both the femoral and acetabular hip components. is a tissuetissueA collection of similar cells and the intercellular substances surrounding them.-sparing alternative to traditional hip replacement surgerysurgeryThe branch of medicine concerned with the treatment of disease, injury, and deformity by operation or manipula... that provides the potential for less pain, faster recovery and improved mobility because the musclemuscleContractile connective tissues that affect movement; a component of nearly all organs and body systems. tissues are spared during the surgical procedure. The technique allows the surgeon to work between the patient‘s muscles and tissues without detaching them from either the hip or thighbones—sparing the tissue from traumatraumaPhysical injury..

Keeping the muscles intact may also help to prevent dislocations. With the Anterior Approach, the surgeon uses one small incisionincisionA cut or surgical wound. on the front (anterior) of your hip as opposed to the side or back. Since the incision is in front, the patient avoids the pain of sitting on the incision site.

anterior approach incision

The Anterior Approach procedure for total hip replacement has been gaining popularity recently due to its potential benefits:

• Possible accelerated recovery time because key muscles are not detached during the operation. (Some other procedures require cutting or disturbing the important muscles at the side or back of the leg.) The Anterior Approach is known as a tissue-sparing procedure because it avoids cutting these key muscles and tissues and therefore minimizes muscle damage
• Potential for fewer restrictions during recovery. Although each patient responds differently, this procedure seeks to help patients more freely bend their hip and bear their full weight immediately or soon after surgery
• Possible reduced scarring because the technique allows for one relatively small incision
• Potential for stability of the implant sooner after the surgery, resulting in part from the fact that the key muscles and tissues are not disturbed during the operation.

The Anterior Approach differs in multiple ways from other surgery techniques:

• The hip is exposed in a way that does not detach muscles or tendonstendonsFibrous bands, one at each end of a muscle, that connect the muscle to bones. from the boneboneThe hard tissue that provides structural support to the body. It is primarily composed of hydroxyapatite cryst...
• A high-tech operating table is often used to help improve access Intraoperative x-rayx-rayAn X-ray is a painless process that uses radioactive materials to take pictures of bone. If your doctor suspec... or computer navigation is typically used to confirm implant position and leg length
• Larger, heavier patients may be candidates for minimally invasive hip surgery with this technique
  • The Anterior Approach enters the body closer to the hip jointjointThe junction or articulation of two or more bones that permits varying degrees of motion between the bones., with far less tissue between the skin and the bones of the hip, so more patients may be candidates

Every surgical approach has risks and benefits. The way a hip replacement will perform depends on age, weight, activity level and other factors. There are potential risks and recovery takes time. If patients have conditions that limit rehabilitationrehabilitationRestoration, following disease, illness, or injury, of the ability to function in a normal or near-normal mann..., they should not have this surgery. Only an orthopaedic surgeon can tell a patient if hip replacement is right for them.

Patients‘ doctors will tell them what restrictions they will have after surgery. Every surgeon has his or her own set of precautions for their patients to follow.

references

¹ Comparison THA procedure data on file at DePuy OrthopaedicsOrthopaedicsThe medical specialty involved in the preservation and restoration of function of the musculoskeletal system t..., Inc.

² Matta, J.M. and T.A. Ferguson. "THA After Acetabular FractureFractureA disruption of the normal continuity of bone.." OrthopedicsOrthopedicsThe medical specialty involved in the preservation and restoration of function of the musculoskeletal system t... September 2005, 28(9): 959-960.

³ Matta, J.M., C. Shahrdar and T.A. Ferguson. "Single-Incision Anterior Approach for Total Hip ArthroplastyArthroplastyExamination of a joint with a scope. on an Orthopaedic Table." Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research December 2005. 441: 115-124.