As the population ages, the number of total hip replacement surgeries is increasing. Over 150,000 artificial hip replacement surgeries are performed yearly.
Over the last several years, total hip replacement surgery involved a hospital stay of six days or more, significant post-operative pain and weeks of rehabilitation. That?s all beginning to change now. A new minimally invasive hip replacement surgical technique is becoming more common.
Inova Surgeons Perform Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement Procedures
Here's good news for the growing number of older Americans who need hip replacement surgery: Inova hospitals now offer minimally invasive hip replacement procedures that are as effective as traditional hip replacement surgery and are much easier on patients.
Traditional hip replacement surgery requires a large incision, several days of hospitalization, and a lengthy recovery with limitations on weight bearing. When a minimally invasive surgery is performed, it is more likely that patients will put full weight on their leg within 24 hours.
Traditional hip replacement surgery requires a 10- to 12-inch incision through which surgeons remove the diseased hip and replace it with a prosthesis.
Minimally invasive hip replacement requires only a 3- to 6-inch incision, depending on the individual patient. Specially designed instruments give orthopedic surgeons the access needed to perform the surgery through the smaller incision.
Video Educator - Watch short, visual explanations of orthopedic conditions. Orthopedic Resource Center