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Hip surgery

Relieving pain. Restoring mobility and independence.

Whether you’re playing sports, exercising, or climbing stairs, a healthy, pain-free hip is essential to your mobility and living an active lifestyle. So when your hip is injured, stiff or sore, it affects both your physical and emotional wellbeing.  

For hip pain and problems, the first course of care is usually conservative hip treatments. This typically includes hip-centric physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication and occasionally injections. But if that approach isn’t enough, your doctor may recommend surgery.  

At Allina Health Orthopedics, hip surgery involves a coordinated care team that understands your unique health issues and collaborates on your treatment.

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What is hip surgery?

Hip surgeries have some of the highest success rates of any surgery. Procedures vary, but these are some of the most common types of hip surgery: 

  • Arthroscopic hip surgery: Your surgeon makes a tiny incision and uses specialized instruments to fix tears in the hip’s soft tissue, repair damaged cartilage or reshape the hip joint to prevent further damage. At Allina Health, arthroscopic hip surgery is performed with the assistance of computer navigation to ensure precision. 
  • Total hip arthroplasty (replacement): Osteoarthritis or other disease can wear out the hip joint. A total hip replacement procedure replaces the damaged hip joint with an implant made of metal, plastic, ceramic or some combination. Two common techniques are lateral hip replacement and anterior hip replacement. You and your doctor will talk about which option is best for you. 
  • Hip impingement surgery: This surgery corrects how the hip ball fits into the hip socket, and relieves hip stiffness, pain and loss of mobility.  
  • Labral repair surgery: The labrum is a ring of cartilage in the hip socket that contributes to joint stability and helps seal the hip joint. Labral tears in the hip are caused by hip impingement, or extra bone on the hip ball or socket, resulting in pinching. Surgery is sometimes needed to repair a tear which may be causing pain, pinching, and stiffness with activity or with certain hip positions. 
  • Labral reconstruction surgery: Labral reconstruction surgery is used to replace a part of the labrum when it is no longer repairable by creating an artificial labrum and transplanting it into the hip, all through three incisions less than one centimeter long. 
  • Hip cartilage restoration surgery: When cartilage damage isn't severe enough to warrant a hip replacement, cartilage regeneration is achieved through minimally invasive hip arthroscopy. 
  • Bursitis surgery/Abductor tendon repair: Fortunately, long-term hip pain can be treated. When physical therapy and injections fail, the bursas (joint cushions) can be cleaned and rotator cuff tears of the hip can be repaired 
  • Core Decompression with Stem Cell surgery: This procedure is used to treat a condition known as Avascular Necrosis or death of the bone of the hip joint. Your stem cells are injected with bone graft to stabilize and repair the dead bone within the hip. 
  • Revision hip surgery: Total hip replacement surgery is usually very successful. Over time, though, a hip replacement can wear out or develop problems. Revision surgery replaces a previous failed or worn out implant. 
  • Hip fracture surgery: Surgery is sometimes needed to repair a break in the upper part of the thigh bone (femur) caused by a fall or other trauma.

Good for treating

  • Arthritic hip joints
  • Failed or problematic previous hip replacements
  • Hip impingement and labral tears
  • Hip cartilage injuries
  • Hip fractures

What to expect

Once you’ve made the decision to have surgery, your doctor and your care team will ensure you are well prepared. You’ll receive instructions on how to get ready for the operation, learn what to expect in the hospital or surgery center, and get helpful information on recovering at home. For some procedures, you may be asked to attend a pre-surgery class.

Throughout the process, you’ll have access to a wide spectrum of pre- and post-surgery services, and support from our compassionate caregivers every step of the way.

Good to know

The experienced orthopedic surgeons at Allina Health have performed thousands of hip surgeries and work in close partnership with staff at our hospitals and surgery centers. Allina Health hospitals and outpatient surgery centers observe the highest standards of quality and best practices.

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First published: 10/26/2020
Last reviewed: 10/26/2020