Is Replacement the Only Solution for a Damaged Hip?

Your hip is damaged and you’re dealing with pain and mobility issues. Does the road to walking freely again only come after a hip replacement? Not necessarily.

One of the members of Western Orthopaedics’ highly skilled team — Dr. Brian White — has made hip preservation a primary goal. Yes, there are times when replacement is the best path forward, but let’s take a look at other ways we can help you regain pain-free movement in your hips.

Common hip problems

There are several different issues that account for the 450,000 hip replacement surgeries that are performed each year in the United States, including:

• Osteoarthritis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Injury-related arthritis
• Labrum tears
• Hip dysplasia 
• Hip fractures 
• Osteonecrosis (lack of blood supply to the femoral head)

While some of these issues warrant total hip replacement surgery, there are times when preservation may be the better option.

Preserving your hip

Dr. White believes that steps to preserve the hip joint excel in many different situations. For example, if you’re younger — in your 20s, 30s, or 40s — hip replacement surgery at this early stage of your life may mean a revision surgery later on when the replacement hip wears down.

As well, thanks to advanced arthroscopic techniques — we make only small incisions and use a camera and specialized instruments to do the work — we can accomplish a great deal, including:

Reconstructing your labrum

One of Dr. White’s areas of expertise is labral reconstruction, a procedure in which he uses a graft to repair the connective tissue. In using a graft to reconstruct your labrum, rather than repairing it, we can garner superior results and reduce any pain since this tissue doesn’t contain any nerves.

Cleaning out foreign bodies

When you have arthritis, there may be loose bodies in your hip joint that can cause pain and stiffness.

Correcting hip dysplasia

With hip dysplasia, the socket portion of your hip joint is too small. First, we can reshape your femoral head using arthroscopic techniques. Then, we turn to a Ganz osteotomy, a procedure that repositions your socket to better accommodate your newly reshaped femoral head.

When hip preservation isn’t an option

Of course, there are times when hip preservation may not be an option, such as if the damage or level of erosion in your hip is too great. In these cases, Dr. White can perform a total hip replacement to reestablish pain-free movement in your hip.

The best way to find out which option is best for you is to schedule a consultation with Dr. White. To get started, click here for the contact information for both of our offices in Denver and Arvada, Colorado.