Hip replacement surgery involves removing the damaged hip joint and replacing it with a prosthetic joint. “One of the significant advantages is preserving the patient’s natural makeup.” “This procedure is a bit more involved but does provide great stability to the hip and avoids total replacements at a young age,” Essilfie says. A periacetabular osteotomy is then performed to cover the femoral head to allow for more stability. This can lead to referred pain to the low back or lateral hip pain due to increased demand placed on the surrounding muscles to compensate for the lack of pelvic coverage. Other patients’ pain may be from hip instability as a result of hip dysplasia, where the pelvis doesn’t cover the femoral head. Essilfie says most young athletes experiencing hip pain have impingement where the ball and socket of the hip joint don’t fit together properly. A hip arthroscopy is a minimally invasive outpatient procedure that allows surgeons to restore damaged tissue and shave the bone, causing an impingement. Patients seeking more in their quality of life can learn about surgical options that are still less invasive than a total hip replacement. Younger patients may not receive the steroid to avoid tendon weakening. If pain persists, they will localize the cause of pain and administer anesthetics and/or a steroid for anti-inflammatory effects. Essilfie and Yalamanchili begin treatment with conservative options like activity modification and physical therapy to strengthen core, gluteal, and abductor muscles to take pressure off the hip or regain stability. Hip preservation is a set of procedures and therapies that aim to maintain the natural structure and function of the hip joint.
Sports medicine specialists, Anthony Essilfie, MD, and Dheeraj Yalamanchili, MD, encourage young athletes to preserve their body now with hip preservation treatments to continue an active lifestyle. Hip preservation is an alternative treatment method that aims to conserve the body and avoid the need for hip replacement. A total hip replacement may slow down patients who enjoy high-impact sports and alter how young athletes stay active for the rest of their lives.