Anterior Versus Posterior Hip Replacement
During this traditional approach the orthopedic surgeon makes an 8 10 inch while you lie on your side.
Anterior versus posterior hip replacement. The anterior approach offers the fastest recovery time but fewer surgeons perform it. The average hip replacement lasts 20 30 years or more. The anterior approach through the front of the hip has been utilized as long as the posterior approach but its popularity has grown in the us over the past 10 15 years. This incision typically starts at the top of the pelvic bone iliac crest and extends down toward the top of the thigh.
In the short term anterior hip replacement is less painful and leads to a quicker recovery of mobility and strength compared to a posterior or lateral approach. In a posterior hip replacement the procedure is done on the side of the hip. Anterior hip replacement may provide some benefits in terms of speeding the early recovery timeline although even this is a subjective debate. In a posterior approach the incision is made through the back of the hip while you re on your side.
Anterior hip replacement surgery has lower rates of hip dislocation but full posterior surgery has higher dislocation rates. The anterior approach to doing a total hip replacement has been gaining popularity in the us over the last ten years. While anterior hip replacement has some possible advantages it is unlikely that the surgical approach is the most critical factor in determining the long term success of a hip replacement surgery. The long term outcome is very good.
There is renewed interest in the news and medical world lately regarding surgical approaches to hip replacement specifically anterior through the front of the hip versus posterior through the back of the hip methods. The most commonly utilized total hip replacement is the posterior approach through the back of the hip which has been performed successfully for decades. It is a technique that patients seek out for several reasons. The posterior surgical procedure has the longest recovery time but most thr surgeons can perform it.
This approach is considered the traditional tried and true method. In an anterior approach the replacement is done through the front while you lay on your back. They generally feel like it is a less painful technique allows earlier rehab and has fewer restrictions than the traditional posterior approach.