The hip joint is the largest joint in your body, helping you perform most of your necessary daily movements, including walking, balancing, and running. When your hip or knee is damaged due to arthritis, injury, or another condition, your quality of life can suffer tremendously.
We provide care for all hip conditions, from non-operative to operative care, including complex joint revisions. Our team of orthopedic specialists have years of training and experience in joint care and offer the least invasive total hip replacement surgery possible. Our team is dedicated to helping you get back to your normal life quickly and safely. Learn more about our surgery services offered in the Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, and Virginia areas.
Our orthopedic hip doctors are:
- Specially trained and experienced in hip and replacement surgery
- Able to provide access to multidisciplinary care centers all under one roof
- Experienced surgeons who use innovative technologies, including robotic-assisted techniques and computer navigation, that provide a more precise and safer procedure
- Specialists in minimally invasive surgical procedures, including direct anterior total hip replacement and mini posterior total hip replacement, that result in less pain and a quicker recovery from surgery
- Advancing the field of orthopedics by taking part in nation-wide training programs and researching the latest techniques
- Able to provide you with access to a sophisticated hip surgery recovery program to ensure you have the best possible outcome
Providing personalized and comprehensive hip care and hip replacement surgery
MedStar Health is a leader in orthopaedics in the D.C. and Baltimore region, providing personalized and comprehensive hip care. Our doctors are fellowship-trained in total hip arthroplasty surgery and specialize exclusively in caring for conditions that affect the hip, from simple cases to the most complex. Our physicians use state-of-the-art techniques and approaches to hip replacement, which promote a safe and successful recovery. Our network is proud to offer our patients tertiary care with access to multiple support systems all under one roof.
What is hip replacement surgery?
In a hip replacement, the damaged bone and cartilage is replaced with a prosthetic, or artificial, hip component. The goal of surgery, also referred to as total hip arthroplasty, is to help relieve your pain and improve your quality of life and hip function. At MedStar Health, we offer the most advanced approaches using innovative technologies to promote the safest and most successful outcomes possible.
Why is hip replacement surgery performed?
You may be a good candidate for surgery at MedStar Health if you suffer from any of the below hip conditions:
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Rheumatoid arthritis of the hip
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Hip injury or hip fracture
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Bone tumors on the hip
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Problem with existing hip replacement that may need a hip revision
What does hip replacement involve?
This ensures a precise and safe procedure. During surgery, the damaged portions of your hip are removed and replaced with an artificial hip called a prosthesis, or a device that substitutes or supplements the joint. The prosthesis consists of three components: a socket, ball, and stem. The outer shell of the socket is usually made of metal and the inner shell consists of plastic, or the entire socket may be plastic. When the ceramic ball is joined with the socket, the new hip allows for smooth, nearly frictionless movement. Prior to your hip replacement procedure, your surgeon may use robotic-assisted technologies, which capture the exact location of the joint prior to surgery.
Hip Replacement
Injury and the wear and tear of aging can damage this joint, increasing the risk for ephemeral fracture or hip fracture. A hip fracture is most likely to be repaired with hip replacement surgery.
What are the benefits of undergoing hip replacement surgery?
Our goal is for you to experience the following benefits after having surgery:
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Hip pain relief
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Restored range of motion
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Improved balance and function
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Ability to bear weight on the affected hip
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Ability to return to normal activities
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Access to a multidisciplinary network of physicians
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High quality care for simple and complex joint conditions
A minimally invasive option: Direct superior approach hip replacement
Direct superior approach hip replacement is a type of surgery that is minimally invasive and spares the IT band, which extends from the pelvis to the knee and supports hip function and stability. The surgery is performed using a smaller incision that is located higher on the hip. The surgeon accesses the hip between the muscles of the buttocks.
The benefits of the direct superior approach include:
- Smaller incision
- Earlier ability to walkâoften while still in the recovery room
- Shorter hospital stay
- Quicker ability to get back to normal activities
- Less risk of post-surgery hip dislocation
- Less blood loss during surgery
- Less discomfort and need for pain medication during recovery
Frequently asked questions
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When should I consider hip replacement surgery?
The patient who is the appropriate candidate for hip replacement surgery is tired of living with the pain and limitations they are currently experiencing. Therefore, before considering surgery, exhaust non-operative measures, such as non-steroidal medication, physical therapy, steroid injections, bracing, or weight management.
While pain is an important symptom, consider how your pain has affected your ability to be active. Do you find yourself avoiding activities in order to reduce the pain and symptoms you may be experiencing? Does pain at night interrupt your sleep or do you experience pain while at rest during the day? These might also be reasons to choose surgery.
Ultimately, what makes the determination is the impact of your pain and the limitations that pain has on your life on a day-to-day basis. When pain can no longer reasonably be managed by non-operative measures and your activity is limited by hip joint pain, you may be ready for hip replacement surgery.
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How much pain will I be in after hip replacement surgery?
There is pain with hip replacement surgery. We are working with the bones and muscles with various surgical approaches. We employ a multi-modality pain protocol to relieve pain and get patients more active and functional earlier. We emphasize pain control to allow patients to recover as quickly as possible.
Our team will work with you to tailor a pain management program for your specific case. We use a variety of physical measures such as cold therapy, compression, and elevation to reduce pain and swelling.
Activity is also important to minimize pain after hip replacement surgery. Greater levels of activity can result in a reduction in pain after surgery. We try to minimize the use of narcotic or opioid pain medications after any joint replacement. While these medications can be important tools immediately after surgery, extended use can lead to problems such as constipation, withdrawal, and addiction. Other medications such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory agents are also helpful after surgery. Our long-term goal is to restore you to a functional lifestyle with minimal or no use of medications for pain.
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Am I ever too old to have hip replacement surgery?
There is no strict chronologic age restriction on hip replacement surgery. If you are healthy and in good physiologic condition, it is reasonable to consider a joint replacement to return to being active and functional at any age. We have successfully performed the surgery for many patients in their ninth decade of life.
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If I am overweight, what restrictions should I understand when considering hip replacement surgery?
Be sure you are at a healthy weight before surgery to optimize your general health, facilitate your rehabilitation and recovery, and alleviate stress on the implant. Excess weight can lead to an increased rate of complications such as blood clots, wound healing problems, and infection. While there is no maximum weight restriction, we try not to do hip replacement surgery in patients with BMI greater than 40. Research shows that doing joint replacements in patients with a BMI over 40 puts them at an increased risk of complications after surgery.
In addition to weight, patients who have significant edema or lymphedema in the legs are at high risk for wound healing problems and infection. We strongly recommend that these issues are evaluated and treated by your medical team and possibly a vascular surgeon, if necessary, prior to proceeding with hip replacement surgery.
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Our providers
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Hip and Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Henry Robert Boucher, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery
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Frank Ross Ebert, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Mark David Hasenauer, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery
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Brett Russell Levine, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Robert P McKinstry, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Afamefuna Maxwell Nduaguba, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Ahamefula Elemuwa Onyike, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Kevin Woo Park, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Thomas Milleret Ring, MD
Knee Orthopedic Surgery, Hip Orthopedic Surgery, Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery
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Angela Lee Tomaschko, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
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Kenneth M Vaz, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery
Orthopedic Surgery
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Brock William Adams, MD
Orthopedic Surgery & Orthopedic Oncology
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David Larry Gold, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Mark David Hasenauer, MD
Hip And Knee Orthopedic Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery
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Curtis Mitchell Henn, MD
Hand Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery
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Bruce Knolmayer, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Zan A Naseer, MD
Spine Surgery & Orthopedic Surgery
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Edward C Rabbitt, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Colleen Bauk Balkam, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Daniel John Bauk, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Peter Shay Johnston, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Sanjog K. Mathur, MBBS
Orthopedic Surgery
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Charles Francis Mess, Jr., MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Megan Rose Miles, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Denis P O'Brien, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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Patricia Turner, MD
Orthopedic Surgery
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William Robert Volk, MD
Orthopedic Surgery