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New View on Hip Replacement

1,219 views · Published 31 August 2015 · 1:22 · Indexed 27 October 2026

Channel: Lee Health · 2015 · Science & Technology

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It is a new route to hip replacement. Instead of removing an arthritic hip by cutting into the back or side, surgeons are flipping the operation, accessing the joint with less cutting.

“This newer method of doing the total hip replacement through the anterior approach or through the front of the hip - it allows for more of a minimally invasive approach,” says Dr. Daniel Harmon, who is an orthopedic surgeon on medical staff of Lee Memorial Health System. 

The frontal approach preserves muscles and tendons, reducing a patient’s pain and recovery time. 

“They don't have to go through a significant healing process because we go directly in between the muscles. Whereas when you go through the back of the hip you reattach those muscles in the end and those have to heal,” says Dr. Harmon. 

Another advantage to the anterior approach is that it lowers the risk of hip dislocation. Patients can bend freely almost immediately because the natural muscle structure which keeps the hip in place is intact. 

“In a posterior approach you have to protect yourself with no more than 90 degrees of flexion and no internal rotation for about 6 weeks until the muscles in the back of the hip and the tendons are allowed to heal. With an anterior approach, you don't have those precautions,” says Dr. Harmon. 

It means patients can enjoy their new hip sooner, with less potential for complications, making the newer approach a safer, hipper hip procedure. 


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Lee Memorial Health System in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of medical care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For nearly a century, we’ve been providing our community with everything from primary care treatment to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries.

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