Direct Anterior Hip Joint Replacement
Dr Bradley provides his patients with the direct anterior hip joint replacement. Many patients chose Dr Bradley to replace their hip for this reason.
This is a hip joint replacement that is done through the front of the hip rather than through the muscles at the back of the hip. It preserves the muscles around the hip – making the procedure less painful, makes for a faster more comfortable recovery, and the resultant hip more stable.
Dr Bradley can offer hip joint replacement through both the posterior and anterior approach and is happy to discuss with his patients which they would prefer and which operation would be better for them. Not every patient can have a direct anterior hip replacement, although most can and do.
The advantages of the anterior approach is that the muscles are moved apart and the operation is done through the front rather than splitting the muscles from the back. This means that the patient has less muscle pain, the joint feels more stable, and (when compared to the posterior approach) the patient usually reports more comfortable recovery. Most patients only need to stay in hospital one or two nights. Patients are able to walk without crutches earlier and return to daily activities, walking and work at a faster rate.
The components of the hip joint replacement are the same with both approaches – it is simply a different way of putting it into the patient.
Dr Bradley is happy to discuss which approach you would prefer and more importantly provide you with the best possible hip joint replacement for your future.