Robotic Total Hip Replacement

Hip replacements are a great operation to help with arthritic joint pain thats affecting your daily activities. We do have non operative methods that can help in the early stages, but once established arthritis sets in, a joint replacement is a very reproducible procedure.

When it comes to how we approach the hip, this has been the subject of much debate over the last few years, with people discussing posterior, lateral, and direct anterior. The consensus is that there are pros and cons to each approach, but a hip replacement done well is the most likely thing to give the best result, and the approach has little effect on the long term outcome. Dr Bali has had specialist training in the direct superior approach, which is a muscle sparing less invasive incision, with the aims of a smaller scar, less pain, and a quicker recovery.

Positioning of the implants is crucial to make sure the hip is stable and doesn’t dislocate out of the socket, and to ensure the final leg lengths are equal. To ensure this we use modern technology with the Mako robot. Prior to surgery we get a CT scan to ensure we have a virtual 3 Dimensional of your personal hip joint, then we plan positioning of the implants looking at how flexible your spine is and seeing how the pelvis tilts and the implants move in virtual positioning software. During surgery we make sure that only the essential bone is removed and the implants are positioned very accurately with robotic guidance. There is evidence suggesting a lower dislocation rate, equal leg lengths, reduced pain and earlier rehabilitation.

After surgery we would expect you to be in hospital 2-3 days, walking with crutches until weeks 2-3, a single stick for support until week 6, then walking without aids. Most of the discomfort and swelling will have resolved by week 4, but wont completely settle until 3-4 months.