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Best approach for hip replacement

Posted by msvjv @msvjv, Jan 21 9:54am

Interested in outcomes from the three approaches for a hip replacement…anterior, posterior or lateral. Would much appreciate learning of your experiences. Advantages? Disadvantages? Recovery time? I live alone and want to be prepared.

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fdiane | @fdiane | 6 days ago
In reply to @msvjv "Sorry, my post was confusing. He uses anterior approach and assured me there would be no..." + (show)
@msvjv

Sorry, my post was confusing. He uses anterior approach and assured me there would be no nerve damage/pain.

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The femoral nerve goes right down the front of the thigh and branches to the side. My surgeon said he does everything possible to avoid cutting it but it happens more with anterior because the nerve is difficult to see. My hip pain is gone but now I have nasty nerve pain.

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msvjv | @msvjv | 5 days ago
In reply to @fdiane "The femoral nerve goes right down the front of the thigh and branches to the side...." + (show)
@fdiane

The femoral nerve goes right down the front of the thigh and branches to the side. My surgeon said he does everything possible to avoid cutting it but it happens more with anterior because the nerve is difficult to see. My hip pain is gone but now I have nasty nerve pain.

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Will it repair on its own. I’ve had others say it eventually settles down.

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flyjim | @flyjim | 5 days ago

Had the anterior robotic hip replacement surgery November 2022. Easy peasy. Very little post operative pain. Worst part was my surgeons protocol was to have his patients strap a
V shaped foam device strapped between my legs for two months for sleeping so I didn’t inadvertently cross my legs while sleeping. Only heard of one other person that had to do this. What a pain in the butt.
Everything being said, any joint replacement is never as good as the original equipment.
Minor discomfort on occasion is to be expected.

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heyjoe415 | @heyjoe415 | 5 days ago
In reply to @sueinmn "This can be a confusing subject, with pros and cons to both types of surgery. You..." + (show)
@sueinmn

This can be a confusing subject, with pros and cons to both types of surgery. You can read a comparison of the 2 approaches here:
https://www.arthritis-health.com/surgery/hip-surgery/advantages-and-disadvantages-anterior-hip-replacement
I believe that any time a scalpel comes in contact with my body, there is some risk (however small) of one or more nerves being damaged. According to the review above the risk exists in any hip replacement. You might want to ask the surgeon what he meant - he might have said he doesn't cut any nerves, but that doesn't mean disturbed nerves won't be unhappy.

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Agreed, Sue. I believe all surgeries carry some risk of either nerve damage or nerve disruption. I had numbness/tingling on the skin around my knees after replacement. That wasn't very bothersome and resolved within a year.

I also had laminotomies on the S1, L5, and L4 vertebrae. The sciatic nerve wasn't damaged but it had been moved around, and yeah, the nerve wasn't happy about that. But the discomfort and minor pain only lasted about a week. The laminotomies were very helpful in relieving pressure from stenosis in my lumbar spine.

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