Brookport woman pleased with anterior approach hip replacement

Marlene Kineman had trouble sleeping at night because of arthritis in her hip.  

“I was having pain in my hip area, and it woke me up at night,” said Kineman, 74, of Brookport, Ill.

Kineman is well-rested since having a hip replaced through the anterior approach in October.

The new approach is to the front (or anterior) of the hip joint, rather than from the side or back.  Rehabilitation is accelerated, and hospital time is decreased because the hip is replaced without detaching the muscle from the pelvis or femur, as required in other surgical approaches. 

Orthopedic surgeon Burton Stodghill, M.D., performed Kineman’s surgery.

“We are having great success with the anterior approach,” Stodghill said. “Patients find their post-operative recovery is significantly shorter and their pain is significantly less. They have essentially no problems with dislocations and are able to return to their normal lives quickly, with minimal interruptions to their daily routine.”

Kineman said her physical therapist was amazed at how well she got around after surgery. 

“I could walk without a cane after five weeks,” she said. “It worked very well for me.”

Stodghill’s partner Stephen Jackson, M.D., also performs the procedure, as well as orthopedic surgeon Ted Jefferson, D.O. “It’s been available for a long, long time, but it was difficult to do,” Dr. Jefferson said. “A new operating table became available that makes it easier, so it’s becoming more and more popular. It’s taking the hip replacement world by storm.”