SuperPath Hip Replacement?

[Jojool]

NewHipMoJoe I don't know the difference between the two, but I can tell you that it took me 5 months to get a consult with Dr. Chow. He will be doing my surgery in August.....he's doing the superPath procedure. I really, really like Dr. Chow. I had seen 3 other OS before meeting with Dr. Chow, and he is the bomb.

 

[NewHipMoJoe]

Thanks, I appreciate the input. If he is booking that far out I need to make a decision soon as to whether to schedule a consult. Do you know what he will be using for your acetabular and femoral head components and how he decided on your specific combination of materials? Also, do you know how many SuperPath procedures he has done and for how long he has been doing this specific approach?

Thanks again, this a great forum for help in making a, hopefully, lifelong/life changing decision.

 

[bottomshollow]

NewHipMoJoe, pleased that you have joined us here on the forum. Please start a thread of your own that way you and your questions and concerns will get the attention they deserve. Here is the link that gives you the instructions you need to do this: Starting a new thread and posting

By having your own thread, your questions and concerns will not hijack another member's thread. You are of course free to post comments and share experiences on other's threads as they are on yours. I look forward to seeing your first post in your own thread. BTW, love your avatar!

We are here to help in any way we can: answering questions and concerns; supporting and encouraging you from start to finish; giving you a place to vent, whine, complain if you need to; sharing experiences with one another; and having fun and some laughs along the way.

Take care and keep us posted. We care.

 

[sandybeach]

NewHipMoJoe I had both of my hips replaced the superpath way and I can't imagine having any other procedure, for me it was a perfect way to go. The operation went very well with very little blood loss. I had the surgeries 6 weeks apart and I felt very confident that I was ready for the second that soon from the first. There are doctors closer to you than Arizona. Look on the wright website, their trademark is at the top of this page, you will see the superpath procedure there and info about it along with a search for physicians. I'm from Minnesota and we have one in our state that does this. I know there's one in Wisconsin and also one in Florida.

 

[sandpiper]

Orthodoc. Hi! I have a question for you. Regarding the superpath vs. anterior vs. posterior procedures, is the ultimate long term outcome the same for the patient? I just had RTHR surgery, ceramic on plastic 30 yr. prosthesis, posterior approach. When I questioned my surgeon about the anterior approach he said he felt in my situation he would prefer the posterior approach but that he does not cut the muscle. My incision is located slightly posterior of the middle of the side of my hip and right about where the joint is. The incision is about 3- 3 1/2 inches long and glued closed. I was given the 3 main restrictions by the nursing staff, avoid the 90 degree angle, don't turn toes/legs inwards, and don't cross legs. Today is day 11 post-op and I can walk well throughout the house without the use of the walker or a cane. I feel great! I am taking short walks outside and can go up and down steps. Down alternating legs, up still using the good leg to step up and bringing the "bad" leg up behind. Sometimes I can just go and will use both legs in a fluid motion for 3-4 steps. I was doing most of this on day 5 after surgery and feel great. I know this is after the fact but I hadn't even heard of this superpath procedure til a day or two ago. Just for future reference if I should ever need the second hip done, what would be the long term benefits if any? Is it just a matter of a speedier recovery or is superpath better in the long run in some way? In other words....months down the road is the superpath patient's THR better than someone who had a more conventional procedure? What is the difference between the incisions? Where is the
Incision site and how long is it on a superpath patient?
Thanks for your time!!! Inquiring minds need to know! Ha!!

 

[Jojool]

sandpiper good questions!!! I look forward to the answers. NewHipMoJoe I don't have a lot of the details of my surgery yet. Google dr. Jimmy Chow and check out all of the videos and information there. I bet you can find a surgeon closer to you than Arizona, but I do know that many people come from all over the U.S. to have Dr. Chow do their surgery. Good luck! Oh, and if you want to come to Arizona, avoid the summertime! It's going to be 114* tomorrow, and we now have monsoon humidity. So much for a "dry heat".

 

[Orthodoc]

Sandpiper,

For the most part, the long term results of each of these approaches is similar. Assuming that the components are well positioned, the legs are of equal lengths and the soft tissues are appropriately tensioned, then there will be very little to no difference in the long term outcome between these approaches. Keep in mind that many of the benefits to the different types of approaches included 1) differences in early post-operative protocols and 2) the ability to use intra-operative fluroscopy to evaluate component positioning.

Here is a very good resource from some of my previous posts about anterior, posterior and lateral approaches. I believe you will find it useful.

It sounds like you are making a great recovery and I am very happy for you. If you end up with a great outcome from this surgery and have a good relationship with your current surgeon then you should keep that in mind when considering looking for a different surgeon for the other hip.

Orthodoc

 

[sandpiper]

Orthodoc Thank you so much for your prompt reply. I will ck out the website as well. I am very pleased so far with my recovery, actually amazed is more like it! I hadn't heard of the superpath procedure prior to my surgery and of course it had me wondering if I should have looked into that as well. Altho I have to admit that I can't really imagine my recovery going much better. To be able to walk short distances at day 5 post op with out walking aids is way more than I had expected. I appreciate what you said about considering the outcome when deciding who to use if I need the second hip done. I do really like my surgeon and so far... I couldn't ask for more from a recovery standpoint 11days post op. tx again!

 

[sandybeach]

sandpiper Jojool I agree with Orthodoc about the long term results being the same. We all end up with hip replacements no matter what the procedure was to get them. Sandpiper you are doing really well. The recovery also depends on how damaged your hip was too. Mine were really bad, I could hardly walk for a few months before I had surgery so I lost some muscle strength that had to be rebuilt. And I lost a great deal of my range of motion that I'm still working on getting back. My hospital experience and recovery were great, I couldn't have asked for anything better. My doctor kept pain completely under control and I was up walking a few hours after surgery. I was in the hospital a little over 24 hours and was able to climb stairs right away. I had no restrictions at all after surgery. If it didn't hurt, I could do it.

 

[sandpiper]

sandybeach you know... You are absolutely right! We are so lucky to have had such great success! Tx for your reply! Glad it all worked out so great for you!

 

[BeckyR]

sissy46 sandybeach,orthodoc... have been reading through the long file on SuperPATH (now that I've been through it) and I agree with SandyBeach that even though not everybody lives close to a SuperPath surgeon it is worthwhile speaking to one if you DO live close enough to do so.

One big concern I had before surgery was the possibility of leg-length differential. The first surgeon I spoke to just said, very coldly, "yes, that sometimes does happen. It can happen. I can't guarantee it won't." That gave me cold chills. When I saw Dr. Grandic, I asked him about the LLD, and he told me point-blank, "That won't happen. I can control that, and we are guided by x-rays during the procedure. Both of your legs will be exactly the same length." And that proved true.

sissy46, if you ever need your other hip done, you owe it to yourself to at least have a consultation with Dr. Grandic. I will be grateful my entire life that I found him. After the first (failed) referral, I went back to my regular OS (who is a superspecialist in feet and treats ballerinas from some of the leading ballet corps) for a new referral. He gave me several names, and I said, "Who is the best one?" He said, "They are all great." I wasn't happy with that, and didn't just want to throw darts at a target, so I said, "If you needed hip replacement surgery, who would you go to?" Without a moment's hesitation, he said, "I'd go to Elvis Grandic. We refer all of our revision surgery to him, and he's very good." That was enough for me, and the rest is history.

 

[sandpiper]

BeckyR. That's wonderful! You are fortunate to live near a surgeon who does that procedure! I do have to say tho, in my case, I can't really imagine recovery going any quicker. I was home after 3 days and off the walker day 5. Maybe I would have been sooner even except that I didn't even try since the hospital PT gal said to use it. I'm a rule follower by nature. I walk, I do steps, I actually forget sometimes about my hip. Lol i do have some muscle pain but I KNOW most of that is due to the fact that I limped soooo badly prior to the surgery. The muscle pain I feel now is from me actually working and conditioning those muscles again. It's almost a " hurts so good" pain! Lol like when you've had a great couple of workouts!!! I can't really imagine an easier major surgery. They still cut through bone and hammer parts so some discomfort is bound to happen no matter what procedure you have I'd have to think. I mean.... Even if the muscles and tissues are less stressed, the bone work is the same. All that said....i guess my final opinion is that if you are happy with your progress and the results.....then your surgeon did a good job! If you have complications afterwards and a lousy recovery....no matter who the surgeon or what procedure.... The surgeon is lousy! Like my mom always says....everyone who had successful surgery had the "best" surgeon in the world....everyone who had a bad outcome had the "worst" surgeon! Lol it's early in my recovery so I'll keep my fingers crossed but at day 12 post-op.... So far i had " the best" surgeon! Lol if I keep going this way I may have to have a grandchild named after him! And in that case it better be a boy cuz "Nikos" might be awkward for a girls mame! A toast to all my hippie friends and their success stories! Thank goodness we are finally on the other side!

 

[sissy46]

BeckyR Very interesting, and Dr. Grandic is only two or three hours away. Hopefully, I'll never have the other hip done, but I'll be surprised if my OS doesn't learn this technique, too.

I had such a quick, easy and complete recovery, I would be very reluctant to change surgeons, especially if it meant going out of town.

Jojool, you are one of the reasons I continue to check in with BS. Your surgery is coming up soon, and I look forward to reading about your post-op course with your SuperPATH replacement. I think it is wonderful that orthopedic surgeons continue to be innovative and not just settle for the tried and true, when there is a way to make recovery easier for the patient.

 

[BeckyR]

sissy46, Hope you never need the other one done, and now that you have a surgeon you love, you'll want to say with him. Much better to stay close to home. Jojool, I'm be watching for your posts. Hope you are feeling much more confident now!

 

[BeckyR]

sandpiper, Sounds as though you had a great surgeon, too, and a really great rapport and result. That's what matters most. You are right -- when people have a good result, we always think our surgeon is the best in the world. And there are so many great ones. Glad things are going so well.

 

[Jojool]

BeckyR thank you. I'm having horrible pain right now, it is kinda hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel....but I know it's there. Can't wait to be pain free.

 

[sandybeach]

sandpiper you are right about the surgeon being the best under good circumstances. If you found one that you really like and have had good results, why change? I did the superpath way and that's the only one I know. I am more than happy with my results and would recommend that to everyone but I would never try to convince someone, like yourself who has under gone surgery once and was happy to switch. Jojool August 12 will be her soon and your pain will be gone. I remember as my surgery date approached my pain got worse so don't be surprised if that happens because others on here have said the same. thing happened to them It's like your body knowing you're having surgery and it's reacting.

 

[Runaround Sue]

I wish I had heard of this "Super Path" a few months back. The unnatural position the OS will twist my leg into makes me want to hurl. I try very hard not to let that enter my mind.

 

[sandybeach]

didoan, when are you having surgery? You will be fine and I'm sure your surgery will be a success. I did my own research before I had surgery. My doctor just referred me to the doctors who work in the same clinic. I went online and found my own surgeon and when I met him I knew he was the doctor for me. As long as you are comfortable with your surgeon that's what counts.

 

[BeckyR]

didoan, We share all kinds of things on this site, including about SuperPATH. But please don't let you doubt your surgeon or upcoming surgery. The end results will be just as good, and from everything I've read THR has a fantastic success rate and a smooth recovery rate. You found someone you have confidence in, and that's what counts. As far as twisting the leg, there are all kinds of things done during surgery that aren't great to think about before dinner. I tried not to focus on the fact that the surgeon would be going at my leg with a hammer, a drill, and a saw (or something approaching all that!). I was out like a light when it happened and the end result was good. That's what counts. Your hip will be put back where it belongs, and the end result will be great. Over time, improvements are made in all medical techniques. I think there are currently only 9-10 surgeons using SuperPATH on a regular basis. It stands to reason that hundreds of thousands of people will be having THR -- with fabulous results -- without SuperPATH. When I started my journey, I spoke a lot with my PT, who I really trust and respect. He said if he needed a THR he'd use what he called "The good old posterior approach," because of its long history of great results. I'm still so happy I had the SuperPATH, but you need to focus on the success that lies ahead, not on a technique that only a few people on BoneSmart have experienced when so many people are thrilled with the results of other methods. I say this even though I'm now a SuperPATH devotee, having had it done, etc. I would have been happy going forward with a surgeon doing the posterior approach who did a small scar. Not all posterior approach surgeons require hip restrictions, either. It depends on how they do the operation. You are in my thoughts and prayers!