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Take These Steps to Delay Hip Replacement

Think about all that your hips provide when it comes to mobility, support, and range of motion. When one of these major joints is in trouble, it can affect your life in countless ways, starting with the simple ability to walk.

At Western Orthopaedics, Dr. Brian White is the leading team member on hip disorders and hip preservation, a technique that can help restore pain-free function to your hip and delay hip replacement. If you want to put off joint replacement (in some cases, indefinitely), explore how this approach can keep you on your feet.

Common hip problems

There are many problems that can affect your hips, including:

In some cases, these problems develop over time because of wear and tear or degenerative arthritis, while others are caused by structural defects or trauma to your hip.

Determining when you need help

As we mentioned, your hips are awfully important when it comes to your daily routine, so any condition that leads to pain, swelling, and decreased mobility warrants a closer look.

To avoid or delay more aggressive next steps, such as joint replacement, we urge you to come see Dr. White at the first signs of trouble, even if your pain is only intermittent and occurs only after activity. Any pain or swelling are telltale signs of a brewing problem, and the earlier Dr. White can intervene, the less invasive your solution may be.

Deciding upon an approach

Using the most advanced diagnostic tools available, Dr. White determines the cause and extent of the problem in your hip(s), which guides him moving forward.

For example, if he finds that a labral tear or hip impingement is causing your pain, you may be a good candidate for hip preservation. In these instances, Dr White goes in arthroscopically and repairs the damage without the need for replacing the entire joint. He also uses platelet-rich plasma therapy to help your tissues heal more quickly.

If, however, osteoarthritis has set in and the damage is great, joint replacement may be unavoidable if you want to walk again without issues.

After your hip preservation procedure

If Dr. White can preserve your hip’s function through our advanced hip preservation procedures, it’s imperative that you protect your results moving forward. This means following our physical therapy guidelines to the letter so that we can strengthen your hip properly.

As well, you can make a few lifestyle changes that will help maintain your hip’s strength, such as targeted exercise and losing weight, if applicable. 

The bottom line is that any step you take to preserve this important joint is one that can delay joint replacement surgery.

To learn more about delaying hip replacement through hip preservation, contact one of our two offices in Arvada or Denver, Colorado.

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