I'm glad you're doing well my friend!

I had my r hip replaced in March and the surgeon used the anterior incision. It is superior to posterior and lateral in that no muscles are cut to reach the joint. And you are correct it requires a fair amount of skill as the incision is only about 5" long. Always a good idea to check a surgeon's pedigree (med school and residency.fellowship) and time in practice. I find surgeons between their mid 30s to early 40s fit the bill.

Why such young Drs? Two reasons - 1) they are most likely to be caught up on the latest advancements in joint replacement medical science, and 2) they have their career ahead of them, they're ambitious and smart, and they pay greater attention than older docs (just my opinion on that).

My next adventure in joint replacement is my left shoulder, scheduled for an anatomical replacement in August. I wasn't going to do it during the summer, but this can't wait, it hurts too much. I'm actually looking forward to it. The early recovery is hard with the sling, sleeping, all that. But I expect in 2 months I'll be back on the spin bike, and then a slow process for regaining strength. This will test my admittedly limited patience. I lived through my TKRs and a hip and I'll live through this, challenging as it may be.

All the best!

Joe