Is Anterior hip replacement the best type for hip replacement?

I had this approach done and after 2 years, still have leg problems with tingling and pain if I do too much. The hip is great though. I just got an article from my clinic, Allina Health, about a Dr. Heller who does a new approach with two small incisions, one in the front and one in the back of the leg. The surgery is called minimally invasive hip surgery and patients go home the same or next day. Dr. Mark Heller is in St. Paul, MN and operates at United Hospital. I was supposed to go home the next day and instead was not discharged for 7 days because of problems with the surgery. Good luck.

I had anterior on my hip two years ago. Surgery went fine. Had some complications after (blood clots in lungs, etc etc) but the hip is just fine. I will never be as I was before. The left leg is stiff, painful at times, but the anterior approach worked well for me.

@tb3rocketmail Sometimes the answer is "it depends". My VERY experienced ortho still prefers the posterior but is studying the new robotic method. It was said that anterior was faster healing and better, but several retrospective studies have shown they are about equal overall. If you have any special situations like fracture, necrotic bone, deformity, etc the posterior approach gives the surgeon a better view of the entire field.
I had 2 replacements and 3 major revisions by posterior approach. My recovery time was about the same as my brother's anterior surgery, and both of us were home after 36 hours.

I am still trying to decide which approach is better. I went to a younger doctor who only does the anterior approach, which takes longer, and I went for a second opinion to an older, more experienced orthopedic surgeon, who says he does the posterior and it's better, easier and takes only about an hour as opposed to a 3-hour anterior approach. He said he tried the anterior approach and likes the posterior better. I have friends who've had both and both are happy with the results. The posterior doctor said I could have it in a month's time and be good enough to travel for Thanksgiving if I have it in the middle of October. The anterior younger doctor says no traveling for 3 months. It's a big decision for me, of course I'd rather have it be done with so I can travel across the country to be with family for thanksgiving, then go 3 weeks later to travel for Christmas, but I want the one that is best for me.

I had the anterior approach 3.5 years ago and still struggling with hip, back and leg pain. I wish I hadn't done it. I can't do anything I did before including walking long distances at collector car shows, shopping, walking down the driveway to the mailbox. I do have the entire spine herniated and bulging but now have pain in the butt and into the hip that was operated on. I've gone back to the surgeon but everything was always fine and he'd walk out the room. I'm in so much pain life is not fun anymore. I can't sit at swim meets for my granddaughters, can't sit at football games to watch them in the band. I wish I'd done one of the other 2 approaches.

It was 2 1/2 weeks ago. I am 79 yrs old and in very good physical shape. The surgery took 2 hrs.
I used the walker for only 3 days. Never took strong pain meds.
I am driving, walking almost normally and going up and down stairs. But just bc I have recovered so quickly, I am very careful and am resting for long length of time, icing consistently and taking Tylenol when needed.
And...I plan to go on vacation in a month... a 5 hr flight... (Doc has okayed it)

I had 3 opinions and chose the younger doctor who does the anterior. I would do this again for sure.

At 78 I had anterior hip replacement with young very experienced doctor. I used the walker for about a week bc my daughter insisted I “be careful”. I was driving at 5 weeks. I was faithful about icing and basically used Tylenol 750 mg for about a week. After two months I had fully recovered and I am off camping for the summer.

My husband had both hips done. Very successful. Works out, travels, enjoying life.

Posterior has less risk I had anterior THR during which my surgeon severely damaged my femoral nerve leaving my leg paralyzed

I had mine done a couple of years ago with the Superpath method by the primary inventor of that method -- Jimmy Chow. It is supposed to be an improvement on the Anterior method. I had zero pain after the surgery.

Recently I was chatting with Dr. Chow and mentioned that I had two basic requirements: use the best current method to protect muscles, tendons, etc. and be very experienced in that method. Of the two requirements, I told him i believed that the experience requirement was the most important. Despite the fact that he is an engineer trained inventor of the Superpath method, he completely agreed with me. For example, we both would prefer a surgeon who has done thousands of hip replacements using the posterior methodology (the oldest) vs a surgeon using Superpath who has done it only a handful of times.

Of course, the best answer is to have a surgeon who is using the best current muscle sparing approach and who has done it thousands of times.