1. Community
  2. Operations and surgical procedures
  3. Hip Replacement

Anterior is better than posterior.

Posted , 18 users are following.

jane51182
jane51182

Hi all, seems like many of you are opting for a posterior hip replacement. With an anterior replacement there is far less pain, quicker recovery and no chance of a dislocation no matter what you do. Had an anterior 15 months ago and I was going back to the gym after 4 weeks. Check around for a surgeon who knows this technique.

1 like, 28 replies

28 Replies

Prev
  • annone70291
    annone70291 jane51182

    Posted

    I had the posterior approach. But was told my muscles had been stretched and not cut. I recovered really quickly and have a very small scar.
    • CelsB
      CelsB annone70291

      Posted

      Interesting!  I have no idea whether mine were stretched or cut although I assumed they had been cut.    My scar is about 12" long though.
    • susyp
      susyp CelsB

      Posted

      My scar is about 12 inches so don't know whether I was stretchet or cut. You don't think to ask these things. I'm saving all these questions for my consultant meeting at 6 weeks.

      Thanks for the information

      Sue

    • annone70291
      annone70291 CelsB

      Posted

      Mine's about 4 inches. I suppose it depends on how much room the surgeon needs?
    • joanne-1970
      joanne-1970 annone70291

      Posted

      That's exactly right annone. My surgeon does both approaches but with my hips being really deep into the sockets he's told me he needs more room and is doing the posterior approach. He said he wants to give me 2 good hips which will last a very long time and that's what it boils down to at the end of the day.
  • aaronwest
    aaronwest jane51182

    Posted

    I also received an anterior THR. Some of the comments here are interesting because I saw a local surgeon who said I should do anterior because of my age and body size, but that he wasn't experienced enough to do it. He sent me to a doctor out of town and I had a 6-month wait for surgery. As it turned out, a good friend/co-worker of had surgery the week before me with the posterior method.

    She was back to work a week before me and walking with a cane, but soon I surpassed her and my recovery was super quick and I was able to resume exercise. It has now been 3 months for both of us, and we are both doing extremely well, but she walks slower and with a slight limp whereas I am doing 10k steps per day and walking better and faster than I have in years.

    This doesn't mean that anterior is better for everyone because there are other factors. Experience is a big one! But I am glad I waited for this option.

  • HollyHop9
    HollyHop9 jane51182

    Posted

    As an expat Brit I know it's very different here in the US than the NHS. Living in Boston MA, a city renowned for health care our problem wasn't finding a good surgeon for my husbands THA  more one of too much choice. There are surgeons who specialize In posterior, anterior and supercapsulotomy and a bunch of world class hospitals. After lots of scratching of heads OH opted for a posterior approach mainly based on  confidence in his surgeon (at a hospital with a great reputation for ortho). We also were unsure about the lack of longevity data for the newer approaches. One week post op he's progressed to 1 crutch and doing great. It's hard to say which is the best approach, depends on the individual, the surgeon and the hospital.
    • CelsB
      CelsB HollyHop9

      Posted

      Good post Hollyhop.

      It's a bit of a sweeping statement to say one. Is better than the other.   Anterior is certainly a faster recovery, but speed isn't necessarily a determining factor, although it certainly is an attractive one.  

      I had posterior, I wasn't given an option, but it was my surgeon's preferred method and I trust his judgement.

    • Rocketman_SG6UK
      Rocketman_SG6UK HollyHop9

      Posted

      For my money, the best one is theone that results in the best outcome.  

      The position of the scar is immaterial, and recovery times vary so much anyway for every 'approach', so there is not much point worrying about that.

      Graham - 🚀💃

  • lors23
    lors23 jane51182

    Posted

    I am afraid l agree with rocket on this one as for starters we don't get a choice and secondly l have had 2 posterier hip replacements and to me they have worked just as well as the other method. I was not looking to be running after 4 weeks l just wanted rid of my OA pai which this has done. To me no one is better than the other they both hold there own risks l am sure but l would not say one is in anyway better than the other. Yoi might recover quicker but this was not something l was bothered about l just wanted to be better which l am now after getting my 2 hips replaced.
  • basia58126
    basia58126 jane51182

    Posted

    Hi, my surgeon also told me that with anterior there is more chance of fracturing the bone and it is not an approach favoured for women or men with finer bones for this reason. Sadly, my femur was fractured even with the traditional posterior approach so I am non weight bearing which is very frustrating. 
    • CelsB
      CelsB basia58126

      Posted

      Frustrating is a mild way of putting it Basia.  It must be awful not being able to weight bear.  Do you know how long this is for and can you still do some physio?

      I hope your recovery isn't too much longer because of the fracture. 

      Cels xxx

  • HollyHop9
    HollyHop9 jane51182

    Posted

    Oh Basia, I'm so sorry to hear about your fracture. Being non weight bearing really sucks. Sending you lots of good wishes for your recovery. Hope you have lots of help at home.

    I had also read that the anterior approach has a higher risk of fractures (including ankle fractures because of the special table they us) so it's not suitable for anyone with osteoporosis. There's also, as others have said, a higher risk of nerve damage. 

Back to top
Prev

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.