For years, the open technique for hip replacement surgery was the standard. However, as medical technology and surgical processes have progressed, more hip surgeons are transitioning to minimally invasive approaches for hip replacement procedures. As the name implies, a minimally invasive hip replacement requires a smaller incision on the patient in order for the procedure to be carried out, and this brings with it some obvious benefits compared to the traditional open technique.
However, there are also some hidden benefits to pursuing a minimally invasive hip replacement. In today’s blog, we explore the obvious and the not so obvious benefits associated with a minimally invasive hip replacement procedure.
Minimal invasive Hip Replacement Benefits
Minimally invasive surgery tends to offer a number of specific benefits over the open technique for a variety of surgeries all over the body. When the incision site is smaller, the patient benefits in a number of ways:
- Less Pain – Smaller scar and tissue damage typically leads to less pain during recovery.
- Quicker Recovery – Less trauma on the body means that it doesn’t take as long to heal after surgery.
- Complication Control – The risk of certain complications are reduced, like bleeding or nerve damage, because less tissue damage occurs and procedures are typically shorter compared to open techniques.
- Shorter Hospital Stay – This ties in with the point about faster recovery, but patients who undergo minimally invasive surgery can usually be discharged from the hospital or surgery center earlier than those who undergo the open technique, which also helps to keep medical expenses down.
Those are some of the obvious reasons why someone may opt for a minimally invasive operation, but what are some of the hidden benefits of pursuing a minimally invasive hip replacement surgery?
- Reduced Dislocation Likelihood – Although you’ll still want to follow your doctor’s post-op movement protocols very closely, you’re much less likely to dislocate your artificial hip if you underwent a minimally invasive procedure. Because the minimally invasive procedure that Dr. Botero uses is muscle sparing, and these muscles and nearby soft tissues can play a role in keeping your artificial hip in place following the procedure. The open procedure requires the surgeon to cut these larger tissues in order to have clear access to the hip area, and not only is this more uncomfortable during recovery, these muscles also can’t effectively help keep the new hip in its socket because they are recovering from trauma of their own.
- Less Leg Length Discrepancy – A second hidden benefit that we want to highlight is that the minimally invasive technique reduces the likelihood that you’ll develop a leg length discrepancy. Again, the minimally invasive procedure requires less trauma to the nearby muscles and tissues, which makes it easier for a surgeon to restore appropriate leg length as the artificial hip is being inserted. It’s not uncommon for patients who undergo the open technique to find that the leg on the side of their surgery is slightly longer than the other leg, but this discrepancy is less likely to occur when tissues are preserved using minimally invasive techniques.
If you’re in the market for a new hip, we’ll hope you consider pursuing all the benefits offered by choosing Dr. Botero and a minimally invasive correction for your procedure. For more information, reach out to his office today at (865) 558-4444.
