Hip replacement

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 that 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 clearer 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 is an increasingly common procedure that eliminates pain in the hip joint by completely replacing it with a new, prosthetic joint. We use total hip arthroplasty techniques that increase safety and overall outcomes for you.

Our minimally invasive techniques, for example, allow us to offer you surgery with less postoperative pain, reduced rehabilitation time, less scarring and a shorter hospital stay. This means you can return to most activities quickly and, ideally, have 20 years or more of joint restoration.

Also, you may only need an outpatient procedure, with at most, a single overnight stay. 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

During 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 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, and 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, 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.

Depending on the severity of your hip disorder, you may need a total hip replacement. Additionally, you may have had a previous total hip replacement that needs repairing. Whatever you need, 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, partial hip replacement surgery is minimally invasive. As a result, you'll experience a shorter 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. While 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.

Our surgeons at OrthoONE 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.