Centura Orthopedics & Spine was one of the first orthopedic practices in the country to offer hip replacement surgery using the direct anterior approach, which features smaller incisions and generally affords patients a faster discharge from the hospital and a quicker recovery time. Anterior hip surgery is performed through a 3- to 5-inch incision in the front of the hip rather than the more traditional surgery through the back of the hip. The surgeon is able to access the joint between muscles instead of making incisions through the gluteal muscles, which is necessary with the traditional posterior approach. This means patients have less pain and fewer restrictions after surgery.

With the anterior approach to hip replacement surgery, many patients are able to leave the hospital the same day of their surgery. After about three months of recovery, hip replacement patients can return to fully active lives.

Our orthopedic physicians in Colorado Springs have teamed with Penrose Hospital to develop a hip replacement program that gets patients home faster, with less pain. The program is called Accelerated Recovery. Through this program, our Colorado Springs hip replacement surgeons use minimally invasive surgical techniques, and apply regional blocks instead of general anesthesia. Regional blocks around the joint allow for pain-free surgery without the risks or lingering effects of general anesthesia. Patients in the program start walking and participating in physical therapy the day of surgery, and most go home the day of surgery or the day after.

Benefits of Accelerated Recovery include less pain, swelling, and blood loss; a shorter hospital stay; fewer problems such as blood clots and infections; and a faster return to normal activities.

In this procedure, rather than replacing the entire hip joint, our orthopedic doctors replace the hip socket with a metal cup, and then reshape the damaged hip ball and cap it with a metal, dome-shaped prosthesis. This procedure benefits younger patients with hip degeneration who want to continue working at physically demanding jobs, or participating in activities that require flexibility.

We also offer specialized services for hip pain and hip injuries resulting from participating in sports or activities. Our sports medicine experts can provide non-surgical treatments as well as surgery for conditions including ligament tears, muscle strains including proximal hip and quadriceps strains, iliotibial (IT) band syndrome, and labral cartilage tears. Often, a joint or the surrounding structure will be compromised after a sports injury, so our orthopedic doctors also focus on rebuilding strength to prevent future injury.