Hip-Replacement Surgery for Osteoarthritis Becoming Easier on Patient

Hip-replacement surgery for the treatment of osteoarthritis is becoming easier on the patient thanks to smaller incisions, shorter hospital stays and faster recuperation.

Orthopedic surgeons have begun making incisions less than four inches long, down from the 10 to 18 inch incisions that used to be standard for hip-replacement surgery. The smaller the incision, the less damage is done to muscle. Physicians are finding that the new, shorter incisions make the surgery easier on the patients, causing them less pain, less blood loss and a quicker recovery.

The less-invasive surgery technique requires a surgeon with a lot of experience, as the surgery is more difficult to perform in such a small area. Surgeons must rely on their sense of touch to feel the proper placement of the hip-replacement parts.

Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago are developing an even less invasive surgical technique for hip-replacement that cuts no muscle and allows patients to go home on crutches the day after their surgery. The technique requires two one-inch incisions and allows surgeons to work around most tendons and muscle.

Other sources: Chicago Tribune