Outcome Expectations after Anterior Total Hip Replacement

Many patients commonly ask our team for recovery expectations after minimally invasive anterior total hip replacement.  We would like to give a general overview of what to expect after this procedure.  Anterior total hip replacement is an excellent procedure that provides minimally invasive access to the hip with no cutting of the surrounding muscles.  The incision is approximately 4 inches in length on the front of the thigh.  The minimally invasive procedure takes approximately 1 hour for Dr Wind to complete and mostly commonly is performed outpatient in the Ambulatory Surgery Center with the patient going home later that day.  Immediately after surgery most patients are comfortable getting up and walking independently with a walker.  Patients are typically climbing stairs within 1-2 hours of coming out of surgery.  Once patients pass physical therapy and feel comfortable they are able to discharge to home.  Outpatient physical therapy begins within the first week of surgery and mostly involves working towards normalizing gait and improving strength.  During the recovery period, patients are typically able to weight bear as tolerated on the affected leg but should avoid running, heavy lifting, or other strenuous activity while the bone and implant incorporate together.  In the long-term, once the hip process if firmly incorporated into the bone, the patient can then do whatever he/she would like including strenuous lifting and running.  Most patients are able to safely driving within 1-2 weeks after surgery (although a patient should never drive while on pain medication or until he/she feels comfortable behind the wheel).  Most patients are able to return to office work within 2 weeks of surgery.  Patients who are able to work from home are able to resume work within only a few days of surgery.  The majority of the recovery after anterior total hip replacement is in the first 6 weeks of surgery however the patient will continue to slowly recover for 1 year after the time of surgery.  Total hip replacement is one of the best procedures in all of medicine with regard to improved quality of life and high rates of success.  The anterior approach makes the recovery process as easy as possible due to its minimally-invasive nature.  Dr Wind has been performing anterior total hip replacement since 2012 and has thousands of cases of experience.  He is by far the highest volume hip replacement surgeon in central Virginia and is happy to meet with any patient to discuss options for the treatment of hip pain.