Opinions re Anterior Hip Replacement

joanie
joanie Member Posts: 8
edited 28. Nov 2023, 14:07 in Living with arthritis

Hello all,

Have any of you lovely people had an Anterior Hip Replacement? My Osteopath says very few surgeons do this op as they do not have the relevant experience/training. He said they do this op routinely all over Europe but few surgeons do it here.

An anterior hip replacement is done by cutting through the front of the body rather than down the side of the thigh - thus avoiding having to cut through muscles. The recovery from this op is faster as there is less to heal.

I would be grateful for any advice on this one.

thanks.

Comments

  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,764

    This might help you to decide https://www.arthritis-health.com/surgery/hip-surgery/advantages-and-disadvantages-anterior-hip-replacement

    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • joanie
    joanie Member Posts: 8
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/690025#Comment_690025

    Thanks Stickywicket. I shall take a look. Cheers.

  • joanie
    joanie Member Posts: 8

    I have just found this extremely useful, informative film on YouTube. An American surgeon shows how this operation is performed, the operating theatre, the implants used and the operation itself etc. He is interviewed at length about the pros and cons of anterior hip replacement. I found it really helpful.

    Two things stood out:

    Although recovery is speedy after having an anterior hip replacement, the patient still needs to be careful because it takes 6 weeks for the implant to settle.

    There is always a risk of fracture in performing any THR. A fracture whilst doing an anterior hip replacement is very difficult to deal with as the area exposed is much smaller, whereas a posterior hip replacement exposes much more of the bone so that it is easier to fix.


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NqJa_J2dfw

  • Lilymary
    Lilymary Member Posts: 1,750
    edited 4. Feb 2022, 11:27

    One reason I read as to why it’s not done in the U.K. is the risk of irreversible nerve damage (although interestingly the item @stickywicket posted suggests the risks are similar with posterior surgery). I recall someone on this forum from the US reporting that this had happened to her, and it wasn’t a good prognosis, and she was left in considerable pain. I think if it had been offered to me I would have asked for posterior surgery instead, which is relatively lower risk, unless there was a clinical reason why this wasn’t appropriate for me.

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