Direct Anterior Hip Surgery

In a Direct Anterior Hip Replacement, the painful parts of the damaged hip are replaced with artificial hip parts called a prosthesis, a device that substitutes or supplements a joint. The prosthesis consists of three components: a socket, ceramic ball, and stem. The outer shell of the socket is usually made of metal, and the inner shell consists of plastic. When the ceramic ball is joined with the socket, the new hip allows for smooth, nearly frictionless movement.

Direct Anterior Hip Incision Size And Placement

The Zimmer MIS Direct Anterior hip replacement procedure allows implants to be inserted through a 2 1/2- to 31/2-inch incision, as opposed to the 10-to 12-inch incision in traditional hip surgery. More importantly, underneath the skin, there is less trauma since the Zimmer MIS procedures go between muscles or cut less muscle.

In addition to a significantly smaller incision, the Direct Anterior Mini-Incision hip replacement procedure can offer the following advantages over traditional hip replacement:

• Shortened hospital stay to 1 day or outpatient.
• Faster rehabilitation
• Immediate weight bearing