Are achy or stiff hips making it difficult to get out of bed, walk your dog, or participate in other normal daily activities without discomfort? Many conditions, including fractures, trauma, and arthritis can damage your hip joints and cause chronic pain. When medication or physical therapy aren’t working, your primary care provider may suggest a hip replacement.

What is a hip replacement?

A total hip replacement (hip arthroplasty) helps to reduce pain, increase mobility, and improve your quality of life. During the procedure, an orthopaedic surgeon removes the damaged bone and cartilage and replaces them with synthetic implants.

What are the different types of hip replacement surgeries?

There are three different approaches to hip surgeries: posterior (performed through the back), anterior lateral (performed from the side) and anterior (performed from the front). Both the posterior and anterior lateral approaches involved longer incisions with cuts to muscles and tendons. In an anterior hip replacement, the surgeon opens the hipbone area from the front of the hip using a minimal incision, allowing the hip muscles to be moved aside rather than cut.

What is the typical recover time for hip replacement surgery?

Recovery time varies by individual, but most people can get back to normal activities within two to six weeks. Because an anterior hip procedure uses a small incision and avoids cutting muscles, patients typically experience a more rapid recovery that is as pain-free as possible with shorter hospital stays—getting patients back to their lives more quickly.

Dr. Leo Chough, orthopaedic surgeon at Samaritan Healthcare, specializes in anterior hip replacements. He has successfully performed this procedure since 2003 and he has also instructed other surgeons in this technical technique.

“I want my patients to get back to enjoying their active lifestyles quickly and with as little pain as possible,” said Dr. Chough. “By using muscle-sparing surgical techniques, I help patients recover faster, experience less pain, and return to their normal lives as soon as possible.”

About Dr. Leo Chough

Dr. Leo Chough has a wealth of surgical expertise in joint replacement—anterior hip replacement, knee replacement, and reverse and regular shoulder surgeries—plus arthroscopic procedures, such as rotator cuff repair and ACL reconstruction/revision. He is the Moses Lake area’s only sports-medicine fellowship-trained hip and knee surgeon.

Samaritan Orthopaedics is located at Samaritan Clinic on Pioneer, Suite 150. For more information about your hip replacement options, talk to your primary care provider for a referral with Dr. Chough, or call 509.793.9770 to schedule an appointment.