Return to golf after total hip replacement surgery and never lose a stroke!

Return to walking pain-free after your surgery!

Welcome to the Atlanta Bone and Joint Specialist Guide to Hip Arthritis and Total Hip Replacement Surgery!

Arthritis, Osteoarthritis, Bone on Bone Arthritis.  You've heard it all.  You've felt the pain of the daily grind.  You know when a cold front is coming, and you can tell when it's going to rain.  You know that morning stiffness that eases throughout the day, the joint swelling that occurs after a full day.  We've seen it all.  But do you know what is wrong?  We're here to help.  We hope you find our page informative and give you a far better understanding of what we can do for you at Atlanta Bone and Joint Specialists.  From conservative management to surgical intervention, we've got you covered.

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Conservative Management

Our Atlanta hip replacement surgery and arthritis experts will always going try to start with conservative management of your hip.  Depending on what your X-Rays show and what your clinical physical exam shows, you may have plenty of life left in your hip! What does that mean for you?  It means you have plenty of options before going down the path of total hip replacement surgery.

Cortisone

The gold standard for years in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee.  Cortisone is a medicine that helps reduce inflammation inside the knee joint.  As inflammation is the root cause of the pain, the shot reduces the inflammation and therefore reduces swelling and pain.  Injections can be done on the same day as your visit.  Typically injections are performed at a minimum of two month intervals

Image showing a cortisone injection into the hip joint to avoid surgery

Physical Therapy

As multiple studies have shown, when you get arthritis, you use your hip less, and therefore the muscles around the hip get weaker.  We have also seen that as BMI (Body Mass Index) is above 50, we have worse outcomes for hip replacements.  Therefore, in the conservative management period before any hip replacement surgery, Atlanta Bone & Joint Specialists  will likely have you in physical therapy to restore strength around the hip and therefore reduce the unstable feelings of arthritis.  Calculate your BMI at our Joint Replacement Center

Hip strengthening physical therapy is a great option when doing conservative management of hip arthritis

Experimental Therapy

While we offer novel techniques like stem cells and amniotic tissue injections, we do caution against their use.  We will use these in younger patients who are willing to try other non proven modalities to reduce their arthritis.  Unfortunately, most insurances do not cover these injections yet.  Please contact us for pricing and availability.  

Atlanta Bone and Joint Offers Stem Cell Injections for joints.

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Surgical Management

Our motto is simple. You tell us when you are ready for your hip replacement surgery. Period.  Not the other way.  We will evaluate your medical history, function level, and determine if surgery is correct for you.

What is a hip replacement

A hip replacement is when the hip joints ball and socket are removed and replaced with an artificial  surface.  By removing the damaged cartilage surfaces and the bones rubbing, we create a low friction environment for a hip that moves better than it has in years.  We expect you to be everything with the new hip you were able to with the old hip when you were young!

What approach do we take to the hip?

Our surgeons at Atlanta Bone & Joint  do not use the posterior approach in our approach to hip replacement surgery.  The posterior approach has always had a much higher rate of dislocation than anterior approach.  The posterior approach also requires precautions for up to a month!  Who wants to have to follow restrictions after a hip replacement to make sure it doesn't dislocate?  Not us.  We've got you covered.  We've read the data and we will not make approaches that increase the risk of dislocation.  Our process is from the front which is also called "anterior," that you have probably heard about.  Our modified anterior approach is just as fast as the direct anterior, with better scarring, cosmesis and no pain difference. 

What kind of components do we use?

Our surgeons use the highest quality implants on the market.  Titanium stems with 2nd generation alumina heads.  We use vitamin-E-infused polyethylene (plastic) that has the best wear rates in all current studies.  Our implants are designed to place with a minimally invasive incision.  Ask your surgeon which implants he uses.

Metal- 3D porous metal; Plastic- Vitamin-E infused; Head- 2nd Generation Alumina

What are my restrictions after?

Our only restrictions, due to our approach, is exceptionally patient friendly!  We ask that you do not sit on a low toilet seat and torque the hip while standing up.  All of this is instructed to the patient before the surgery in the pre-operative visit.  Our goal is early ambulation with unrestricted movement.  Expect that from us.

You will be back to yourself in no time after a hip replacement! Get ready for beautiful, pain-free days ahead!