When you’ve tried conservative methods for your hip pain, but they have failed to alleviate the problem, hip surgery may be recommended. Penn Medicine’s orthopaedic surgeons are highly experienced and world-renowned for their expertise in hip replacement surgery, including robotic hip replacement, as well as hip preservation surgery. We offer many types of treatment options for simple to rare and complex cases.
From the very first time you see one of our specialists, you’ll be able to discuss how hip pain has impacted your life, your personal goals and any concerns you may have.
Your surgeon, along with other specialists like physical therapists and rheumatologists, will discuss the details of your case and develop a fully optimized treatment plan. So, you’ll get a whole team involved in your case – not just one surgeon.
Types of Hip Surgeries
Penn Medicine’s hip surgeons specialize in traditional open surgery and the latest minimally invasive procedures including arthroscopy and robotic surgery for many hip conditions. These treatments include, but are not limited to:
- Hip cartilage/labral repair – Our orthopaedic surgeons offer a very specialized type of expertise that replaces missing cartilage and repairs labral tears using arthroscopy, a procedure where a fiber optic camera is inserted into a small incision to take a look at what’s happening with your joint.
- Hip resurfacing – If your surgeon believes that you do not need a hip replacement, he or she may recommend hip resurfacing, a procedure that relines the hip joint rather than completely replacing it. This may be an appropriate alternative for younger, active individuals.
- Hip fracture repair – The hip can break for many reasons. Most of the time it occurs if you have osteoporosis. Athletes can also experience stress fractures because of repetitive impact to the joint. The type of hip fracture you have and where it is located will determine what type of surgery you need. In many cases, our orthopaedic fracture surgeons will use metal screws, rods or plates to hold the bone together while it heals. This surgery is usually chosen if the bones can be lined up properly; otherwise, joint replacement may be considered.
- Geriatric hip fracture surgery – When compared to treatment for younger patients, hip fractures in aging individuals often require a higher complexity of care. Caring for a geriatric hip fracture patient is both surgically and clinically complex. We have a specialized program for geriatric hip fractures.
- Osteotomy – An osteotomy is often used to treat hip dysplasia. In this procedure, we reshape your hip socket, so it better covers the ball of your hip joint, to improve stability.
- Muscle/tendon repairs – Sometimes tears in muscles/tendons (hamstring, gluteus medius, adductor) are so severe that they require surgery. Some of these repairs can be completed using arthroscopic techniques, but for larger or more chronic tears, an open procedure may be necessary.
- Hip bursitis treatment – The hip joint has two bursae, which are thin, lubricated cushions located at points of friction between a bone and surrounding soft tissue. When injured, the bursae can become inflamed or infected. If conventional methods do not treat the pain, the bursae may need to be surgically removed.
- Neuro orthopaedic surgery – We offer unique neuro orthopaedic expertise for orthopedic manifestations of the nervous system. For patients with hip pain, extra bone as a result of injury, or hip contractures, our highly specialized surgeons will perform a girdlestone procedure or a fiberosteotomy, dissecting the nerve, and repairing the joint.
- Partial hip replacement – If damage to the hip is only to the ball of the joint, a partial hip replacement may be an option. During this procedure, the surgeon replaces the ball with an artificial implant made of plastic, metal, or ceramic. The socket where the ball sits remains unchanged.
- Total hip replacement – A total hip replacement removes damaged bone and cartilage, replacing it with prosthetics made from plastic, metal, or ceramic. We offer both traditional and robotic total hip replacement surgery using the Mako hip replacement robot.
- Cancer in the hip – Among cancer types that affect the hip are leukemia, multiple myeloma, osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing’s sarcoma and soft tissue sarcomas. If you have cancer of the hip, our specialized orthopaedic oncologists will perform the proper evaluations to determine what type of care or surgery you will need.
- Hip arthroscopy for arthritis – We also perform hip arthroscopy, a minimally invasive procedure that addresses damage deep within the hip joint. This procedure allows your surgeon to see into the hip joint without making a large incision. By inserting a small camera (arthroscope) into the joint, your surgeon can see images on a large video monitor and use those images to guide miniature surgical equipment. The small incisions mean you’ll experience less pain and joint stiffness, as well as shorter recovery times.
- Hip decompression for arthritis – Hip decompression is a technique that can prevent progression to severe arthritis and the need for hip replacement. It involves drilling into the hip bone to remove dead bone. Your orthopaedic surgeon then inserts a mix of blood and progenitor cells from your own bone marrow to restore hip function.