Dr. Brad Prather is one of only a few central Indiana surgeons to offer the muscle sparing direct anterior approach for hip replacement. This surgery offers patients the possibility of less pain, less trauma and a drastically reduced recovery time—typically half the recovery time of traditional hip replacement procedures.

Dr. Brad Prather recommends anterior hip replacement for many individuals whose everyday life is being affected by:

• Arthritis
• Hip/groin pain
• Stiffness
• Limited hip movement

Hip replacement surgery is done to replace a worn or damaged ball and socket of the hip joint. Hip replacement requires your surgeon to replace the top of the thigh bone and the socket of the pelvis.

What makes the anterior hip procedure unique is that the hip joint is accessed from the front of the patient's hip (anterior), between the hip muscles. Traditional hip replacement involves cutting muscles and then reattaching those muscles after the joint is replaced. With the anterior approach, muscles are spared—the surgeon uses smaller, specialized instruments to spread muscles and access the hip joint. This approach makes surgery less traumatic to the patient and reduces the time it normally takes for healing.

The anterior hip replacement offers other potential advantages, such as a lower rate of dislocations, smaller incision scars, better range of motion and a shorter length of stay in the hospital. As with all surgical procedures, success varies from patient to patient and depends on factors such as weight, age, muscle condition and other variables.

If you would like more information on anterior hip replacement, call (317) 718-4676.