Hip pain is a common complaint, especially as patients age.

3d Rendering of Hip Replacement

There are numerous potential causes of hip pain.

These include:

  1. Soft tissue inflammation around the hip, such as bursitis or tendinitis.
  2. Hip arthritis, where there has been irreversible damage to the cartilage within the hip joint itself.
  3. Femoral-acetabular or hip impingement (or FAI), in which structural abnormalities in the development of the ball and/or hip socket leads to pathology.
  4. Tears of the acetabular labrum (the cartilage rim of the hip socket itself).
  5. Loose bodies within the hip joint.
  6. Hip dysplasia, where there has been underdevelopment of the hip socket.

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Lumbar Spine Pathology

Occasionally, hip pain will present as a manifestation of lumbar spine pathology, in which a nerve to the hip area will be pinched in the lower back area, leading to the hip pain.

Dr. Kaper routinely sees and evaluates patients with hip pain - to help them, first and foremost, the source or cause of the pain; and then secondly, to development a treatment plan to treat the hip problem and thereby alleviate the pain. Treatments options range from the use of oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAID's such as Ibuprofen, Advil, or Aleve) to physical therapy to surgery. Hip replacement surgery is often recommended for patients with severe arthritis of the hip that has failed to respond to appropriate conservative or non-operative treatment.

Surgical Options

Dr. Kaper routinely performs total hip replacement surgery through the Direct Anterior (or DA) surgical approach. With this technique, the hip is replaced through a small (typically 3-4 inches) incision on the front of the hip/thigh. The benefit of this approach is that the procedure is done working between the muscles on the front of the hip. In the process, the potential for muscle damage is reduced- leading to an early functional recovery. From a risk standpoint, this is also a safer way to perform hip replacement, with a reduction in the risk of dislocation and blood clots. See the section on Total Hip Replacement for more surgical details.

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Direct Anterior Total Hip Replacement

A total hip replacement may be recommended for patients who experience severe hip pain.

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Hip Dysplasia (DDH) Treatment

Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) is an uncommon, but potentially disabling condition of the hip.

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