HIP SURGERY OPTIONS
Hip pain becomes increasingly common after age 50, and can severely limit one’s ability to perform normal physical activities, such as walking, bending down, and exercising. In the past, if a hip joint was broken in an accident, or became worn down during the aging process, patients did not have a viable hip replacement solution. Older hip replacement methods were consistently unsuccessful, because the human body rejected the artificial replacement parts.
Fortunately, technology has facilitated the creation of replacement hip joints that are made out of non-irritating, synthetic materials. These ball-and-socket joints are comprised of metal and plastic materials that have been precisely engineered to accurately replicate the motions of a human hip joint, allowing for successful hip replacement surgeries and restoring patients’ ability to walk at a smooth, pain-free pace.
At the private orthopaedic practice of Dr. Brandon Gough, located within the prestigious Orthopaedic Institute of the West in Phoenix, Arizona, you will receive the exceptional care of a gifted orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in hip and knee reconstructive procedures. Dr. Gough employs micro-invasive and robotic surgical approaches designed to minimize pain, preserve soft-tissue, and shorten the length of his patients’ post-surgical recovery periods.
Dr. Gough offers a variety of advanced solutions to degenerative hip problems, including, but not limited to:
- Direct superior total hip replacement
- Revision total hip replacement
- Percutaneous core decompression
The average procedural time for most hip surgeries is approximately 1-1.5 hours, and most patients require minimal (if any) narcotic pain medication after surgery, because with Dr. Gough’s minimally invasive surgical techniques, Tylenol and Celebrex generally suffice for pain management.
OVERVIEW OF HIP ANATOMY
The hip joint is one of the most flexible joints in the human body, facilitating a wider range of motion than all other joints in the body except for the shoulder. The hip joint serves many crucially important functions—each hip joint is responsible for bearing half the weight of the body at rest, for sustaining the force of the hip and leg muscles, and for accommodating the highly compounded force of the body’s movements during physical exertion (i.e. running, jumping).
The anatomical structure of hip joint consists of a ball-and-socket synovial joint formed between the hip bone (os coxa) and the femur. The acetabulum, a round, cup-shaped structure on the hip bone, forms the socket for the hip joint, and the rounded head of the femur forms the ball of the joint.
Both the acetabulum and the head of the femur are lined with hyaline cartilage, which provides a smooth surface for the moving bones, and acts as a flexible shock absorber to prevent the bones from colliding during movement. Synovial membranes secrete watery fluid to lubricate the joint capsule, and there are a number of strong ligaments surrounding the hip joint to prevent dislocation. With age, the hip cartilage begins to wear down, and bone density and joint lubrication decreases, rendering the hip joints increasingly susceptible to injury, dislocation, and breakage.
CONTACT DR. GOUGH
Brandon Gough, M.D. specializes in orthopaedic surgery of the hip, and the treatment of degenerative, potentially debilitating orthopaedic issues. His primary treatment objective is to deliver high-quality patient care in a welcoming, compassionate environment. Dr. Gough utilizes cutting edge orthopaedic techniques that are designed to:
- Minimize the risk of complications
- Safeguard the health of his patients
- Alleviate any discomfort
- Expedite the post-procedural recovery period.
In addition to his private practice at the Orthopaedic Institute of the West in Phoenix, Dr. Gough maintains operating privileges at St. Luke’s Hospital and Thompson Peak Hospital in the Phoenix/Scottsdale, Arizona area. If you would like additional information about Dr. Gough’s orthopaedic practice, or to learn more about surgical treatment options to alleviate your hip pain, please contact our office today. We look forward to speaking with you, and to scheduling your initial consultation with Dr. Gough.