How to Prepare for Hip Preservation Surgery

Your hips play a critical role in your body’s stability and ability to move. If you have a hip disorder that causes pain or affects your mobility, hip preservation surgery can minimize your symptoms, restore function, and reduce your risk of needing more extensive surgery.

At his private practice in Houston, Texas, board-certified orthopedic surgeon Kevin Park, MD, uses hip preservation surgery to preserve your natural hip joint, improving your symptoms, boosting your mobility, and extending the life of your hip. 

If you have a painful hip condition, keep reading as Dr. Park explains this innovative therapy and how you can best prepare. 

Preparing for hip preservation surgery

Hip preservation is an umbrella term that includes any therapy designed to improve the functionality and health of your hip joint. This can include physical therapy, exercise, steroid injections, and lifestyle changes.

If your hip symptoms don’t improve with these steps, we may recommend hip preservation surgery. Here’s a look at how to prepare: 

Know your condition

Not all hip conditions are eligible for hip preservation surgery, making diagnosis a critical step. For example, moderate to severe arthritis responds better to different treatments, like a hip replacement. 

Hip preservation surgery can treat several hip conditions, including:

• Hip dysplasia (shallow hip socket)
• Hip impingement (femoroacetabular impingement)
• Loose bodies (small pieces of cartilage or bone in the hip joint)
• Labral tear (torn hip socket cartilage)

Hip preservation can also address other issues, like alignment or soft tissue abnormalities, growth plate abnormalities, and synovitis (inflammation of the lining of the hip joint). 

Only a surgeon can tell you if your condition can be treated with hip preservation surgery, so schedule a consultation. 

Know if you’re a candidate

Hip preservation surgery is generally reserved for younger patients (ages 15-55), though sometimes older or younger people may qualify. Besides having a condition that’s treatable through one of the hip preservation procedures, good candidates also:

• Are in good overall health
• Don’t have significant hip arthritis 
• Haven’t had good response to nonsurgical therapies   

Again, only a surgeon who specializes in hip replacement surgery, like Dr. Park, can clear you for this innovative treatment. 

Understand the procedures

Different hip preservation surgeries address different hip conditions. All hip preservation surgeries use minimally invasive tools and techniques to restore hip function and provide a less invasive alternative to more extensive options, like full hip joint replacement. 

Some common hip preservation surgeries include:

• Debridement (removing loose pieces of bone/cartilage)
• Cartilage lining repair
• Osteotomy (removing/reshaping bone for better alignment)
• Microfracture surgery
• Tissue or bone grafts
• Cartilage reconstruction/restoration or removal (arthroscopy)
• Soft tissue repair

Hip preservation surgery may also involve more than one surgical technique to address more complex issues, like hip impingement or dislocation. 

Prepare for surgery and recovery

Because there are different hip replacement surgeries, follow the specific directions of our surgical team before and after your treatment. Here are some general guidelines to follow:

• Keep all preoperative appointments, including any rehabilitation consultations
• Get any lab work done
• Quit smoking and/or tobacco use
• Review your current medications and report any changes
• Stop taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) 7-14 days before surgery or as directed by our team
• Arrange for transportation to and from your surgery
• Set up your home environment for recuperation by improving lighting, removing tripping hazards, getting a shower chair, and setting up a main floor bed if you have stairs
• Ask friends or family for help with household chores while you recover
• Attend all postoperative appointments, including physical therapy and rehabilitation

Call us if you have any questions before or after your procedure. You should also call or seek emergency care if you have any signs of infection, shortness of breath, or sudden loss of bladder or bowel control. 

Learn if hip preservation surgery is right for you

The best way to learn if hip preservation surgery is right for you, the specific details of the procedure you’ll undergo, and the most effective ways to prepare is by scheduling an appointment with a hip preservation specialist, like Dr. Park.

It’s better to schedule this meeting sooner rather than later, since the key to treating hip joint issues is to address them early, when they’re most treatable. This surgery can extend the life of your natural hip and help you avoid a full hip replacement.  

Are you ready to learn more about preparing for hip replacement surgery and whether it’s the right treatment for you? Schedule a consultation over the phone or online with Dr. Park at his office in Houston, Texas.