The Center for Joint Health at Griffin Hospital is advancing care as one of the leading centers in the region performing anterior hip replacement surgery. The minimally invasive anterior hip replacement approach spares more healthy muscle and tissue and returns patients to their previous quality of life more quickly than traditional hip replacement surgery.

About the Anterior Hip Replacement Approach

In a traditional hip replacement surgery, the surgeon operates from the side (lateral) or the back (posterior) of the hip. These techniques require a large incision of 8-12 inches long, which injures the muscle and tissue surrounding the joint.

For the anterior hip replacement approach, the surgeon makes a smaller 3-4 inch incision at the front of the hip. Instead of cutting or detaching muscles from the bone, the surgeon replaces the hip by gently moving muscles along their natural tissue plane. This makes the direct anterior approach a “muscle-sparing” technique as opposed to other methods that require cutting through or splitting muscle. This minimally invasive technique allows the surgeon to perform the hip replacement surgery without disturbing the surrounding tissue and muscles. Because those muscles aren’t disturbed, the new joint can function more normally.

The Benefits of Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery

As a minimally invasive surgical technique, anterior hip replacement surgery offers patients several benefits over traditional hip replacement surgery, including:

• Reduced time in surgery, a shorter stay in the hospital, less rehabilitation time and less pain after surgery
• A smaller, more precise incision with less impact and scarring to healthy tissue
• Decreased risk of additional complications after surgery, including hip dislocation
• A more natural return to normal function and activity

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