CNN iReport

Hip replacements are on the rise in America, with the number of procedures almost doubling over the past 10 years. Arizona Orthopaedic Associates at Gateway is meeting that demand with a minimally invasive procedure that reduces pain and cuts recovery times by up to three months.

Using a state-of-the-art operating table and intraoperative x-ray, the Phoenix-based orthopedic surgeons group has patients walking the same day as surgery and returning to full mobility within 2-8 weeks, instead of the typical 2-4 months needed after traditional surgery.

AOA surgeons were the first in Arizona to perform the procedure and recently completed their 450th hip replacement using the special table, also known as the OSI-Pro-FX Hip and Knee Arthroplasty Table. It is the only surgical table designed exclusively for hip and knee arthroplasty.

The OSI-Pro-FX table allows AOA surgeons to simply work through the natural interval between the muscles, leaving the most important muscles for hip function - the gluteal muscles that attach to the pelvis and femur - undisturbed, providing patients with the least invasive procedure available and faster recovery time.

“The most important benefit of this approach is that no muscle is cut during the replacement procedure, thereby shortening a patient’s recovery time,” said Dr. Douglas Hartzler of Arizona Orthopaedic Associates at Gateway.

Dr. Hartzler used the anterior approach on Elva Atherton, a Yuma resident who had struggled with a bad hip for years.

“The pain had become excruciating,” Atherton said. “Dr. Hartzler recommended the anterior procedure, explaining the shorter recovery time and I made up my mind right there. I didn’t think twice about it.”

Previous experience helped guide Atherton’s decision – she had helped her mother recover from a traditional hip replacement many years ago and realized the benefits of the anterior approach almost immediately.

“I had dealt with the traditional approach and could see how this made sense,” she said. “It took my mother almost a year to recuperate but I was up and on my feet the next day.”

With its unique capability to position the leg, the OSI-Pro-FX table enables AOA physicians to replace the hip through a single incision, without detachment of muscle from the pelvis or femur.  The OSI-Pro-FX table allows for a positioning option not possible with conventional tables and interoperative x-ray ensures precise placement of the hip. The result is reduced pain, less muscle trauma, a lower risk of dislocation and a shorter hospital stay.

“I was walking without the benefit of a cane the next morning,” said Jack White, a physically-fit Paradise Valley resident who opted for the surgery in April 2008. “Five days later, I walked a mile and a half.”

Dr. Hartzler said more and more patients are asking for the procedure as they learn the benefits of the shorter recovery time.

“Since the time needed to build up the surrounding muscles is eliminated with this procedure, patients can return to their regular activities more quickly,” Dr. Hartzler said. “Who doesn’t need that in today’s fast-paced world?”

Jean Armstrong traveled from Yuma to Phoenix to have the anterior hip procedure performed by AOA’s Dr. David Ott. She was in the hospital for a little over two days and said that within two months she felt as good as new.

“I lived with so much pain,” Armstrong said. “When Dr. Ott first examined me, he was surprised I was still walking. Now I move around without even thinking about the hip replacement.”

For more information, please call 602.631.3161 or visit www.aoa.md.