Hip replacement

Hip replacement surgeons in Denver

Our hip surgeons work to correct daily pain and stiffness so you are able to have an active lifestyle.

Hip replacement surgery at OrthoONE aims to improve your overall well-being. Whether you have pain as a result of wear-and-tear, excessive inflammation or complications from a dislocation or fracture, we're here to help.

Conditions we treat with hip replacement surgery

Hip replacement surgery may be necessary, depending on the severity of your condition. Some of the most common reasons you may need a hip replacement include:

• Osteoarthritis
• Osteonecrosis
• Rheumatoid arthritis

Our hip replacement services

From diagnosis through treatment and beyond, our care plans are aimed at reducing your discomfort and gaining back both your mobility and quality of life.

Diagnostic intraoperative X-rays

While performing hip replacement surgery, our team will use X-rays to get an immediate view of your hip, along with the instruments and implants used for the procedure. To capture these particular X-rays, we use a mobile X-ray machine called a fluoroscopic C-arm. This machine uses a fluoroscope connected to a computer workstation to produce a real-time moving X-ray. This moving X-ray allows us to see structures we otherwise could not.

We are able to complement these X-rays with technology that clears picture distortion. Distortion can be caused by magnetic fields, gravity or other factors, and creates an effect similar to a circus funhouse mirror. With the clear X-rays we use, however, your surgeon can more effectively align the hip replacement implant, obtain much more precise leg lengths and offset the artificial hip.

Total hip replacement surgery

Total hip replacement is an increasingly common practice that eliminates pain in the hip joint by completely replacing it with a new, prosthetic joint. As total hip arthroplasty (THA) continues to evolve, popular techniques like the ones we employ are increasing safety and overall outcomes for you, allowing you to return to most activities even sooner than before. Our goal is to enable you to have 20 years or more of joint restoration.

Depending on your condition, you may only need an outpatient procedure, with many cases only requiring, at most, a single overnight stay. We also offer several different minimally invasive ways to complete a hip replacement. The severity of your condition will ultimately dictate which approach we take, because, as always, your unique circumstances are at the center of your treatment plan.

Anterior hip replacement approach

In traditional surgery, your surgeon may operate from the side (lateral) or the back (posterior) of your hip. These techniques can require an eight- to 12-inch incision, which disturbs the muscle and tissue surrounding the joint. By contrast, anterior hip replacement surgery only requires a minimally invasive, three- to four-inch long incision at the front of the hip, sparing more healthy muscle and tissue.

During the procedure, we replace your distressed hip with implant components made of advanced metal and plastic, avoiding any damage to your surrounding muscle and tissues. By gently moving muscles along their natural tissue plane, retracting them without cutting or detaching from the bone, the new joint can function more normally.

Posterior hip replacement approach

We're also home to board-certified and fellowship-trained surgeons that specialize in the posterior hip replacement approach, which is often utilized for more complex hip replacement surgeries. By offering multiple minimally invasive approaches for hip surgery, we can provide the personalized treatment options that are best for you.

Although the anterior method is beneficial for completely sparing any muscles and surrounding tissues during the procedure, the posterior method is more common and provides your surgeon with a better overall view of the hip joint. The procedure requires your surgeon to make a four- to five-inch incision at the back of the hip close to the buttocks, while you lay on your side. This approach does entail detaching some muscles and tissues to reach the hip joint; however, we avoid cutting into primary walking muscles, such as your abductors and adductors.

Other types of hip replacement surgery

Depending on the type and severity of your condition, you may not need a total hip replacement. Or, conversely, you may have had a previous total hip replacement that, for whatever reason, needs repair. This could be from anything, including wear-and-tear over time and infection. No matter your needs, our surgeons will work with you to determine the best course of action.

Partial hip replacement

Your hip joint is composed of a ball (femoral head) and a socket. A total hip replacement replaces both the ball and the socket. A partial hip replacement only addresses the ball. In most cases, depending on your condition and overall health, partial hip replacement surgery is also minimally invasive. This benefits you with less pain, less scarring, less blood loss and a faster recovery.

Partial hip replacement surgery may be an appropriate route for treatment if you have experienced a hip fracture but the socket of your hip joint has remained healthy.

Hip replacement revision

Artificial hips simply do not last forever. So, although total hip replacements are designed to provide relief and restored function across multiple decades, over time, they wear down. If you have had a total hip replacement in the past and need repairs to a damaged, infected or dislocated artificial hip, a hip replacement revision may be right for you.

A hip replacement revision is a complex procedure that requires more planning and diagnostics than an initial total hip replacement. The procedure calls for specialized implants and tools to remove all, or just some, of the original prosthesis and replace it with new materials. In some cases, the bone around the hip will also need to be rebuilt with metal pieces, or even bone grafts.

The objective of the procedure is to increase strength and mobility. However, it's your commitment to your designated postoperative rehabilitation program that will determine the procedure's true success.

Portal-assisted hip replacement

Our surgeons at Swedish Medical Center have pioneered an innovative procedure called portal-assisted total hip arthroplasty surgery. In this procedure, the incision is moved to a higher location on the body to minimize scarring and nerve damage and to reduce recovery time. We are proud to be one of only a handful of facilities in the country to perform the procedure.

Benefits of minimally invasive hip surgery

When it comes to total hip replacement surgery, we utilize minimally invasive surgical techniques whenever possible. Our goal is always to maximize overall outcomes for you, and minimally invasive surgery allows us to do that by providing you with:

• Less postoperative pain
• Less rehabilitation time
• Less risk of dislocation
• Less scarring
• Less time in surgery
• More precise limb length restoration
• Shorter hospital stay