Understanding Hip Arthritis
Learn how arthritis affects the hip, where it usually causes pain, what X-rays show, and how we decide whether arthritis is actually responsible for your symptoms.
Read the GuideHip Education
Understand Your Hip. Know Your Options.
Hip pain can come from several different problems, and needing an evaluation does not mean you need a hip replacement. Start with what you are experiencing, learn about the options available, and follow the path that makes sense for you.
Where Should I Start?
If you are not sure what is causing your pain, start with the first section below. If you already know that you have hip arthritis, you can move directly to treatment options or learn when replacement may become appropriate.
If you are already planning a hip replacement, jump ahead to understanding the operation, surgical approaches, preparation, and recovery.
01 · Start Here
Understand Where Your Hip Pain Is Coming From
Not all hip pain comes from the hip joint itself. Where you hurt, what brings the pain on, and what your examination and X-rays show help us determine what is actually causing the problem.
Lateral Hip Pain & Gluteal Tendinopathy
Pain on the outside of the hip often comes from the gluteal tendons rather than the hip joint. Learn what causes it and how it is treated.
Read the Guide02 · Before Surgery
Understand Your Non-Surgical Options
Having hip arthritis does not automatically mean you need a hip replacement. Treatment depends on how much the hip is affecting your life and what reasonable non-surgical options may still help.
Non-Surgical Treatment Options
Learn about exercise, physical therapy, medications, injections, activity modification, weight management, and other ways we may manage arthritis without surgery.
Read the Guide03 · Making the Decision
Know When Hip Replacement Becomes Reasonable
There is no single X-ray, age, pain score, or test that tells us when it is time for surgery. The decision comes from putting your symptoms, function, imaging, treatment history, and goals together.
When Is It Time for Joint Replacement?
A practical guide to deciding when arthritis has become limiting enough that joint replacement deserves serious consideration.
Read the Guide04 · Understanding Surgery
Learn What Hip Replacement Actually Does
If replacement becomes the right next step, understanding the operation makes the process much less intimidating. Learn what gets replaced, what the implants are made of, how they stay in place, and what surgery is designed to improve.
Understanding Hip Replacement
See how a total hip replacement works, including the cup, liner, stem, ball, fixation, expected benefits, and important risks.
Read the Guide05 · Choosing an Approach
There is more than one way to perform a hip replacement.
Anterior, posterior, and anterolateral approaches can all be used successfully. The incision matters, but so do implant positioning, stability, restoration of hip mechanics, and the surgeon's ability to adapt when the reconstruction is more complex than expected.
Anterior vs Posterior vs Anterolateral Hip Replacement
Compare the major hip replacement approaches, what makes them different, and what actually matters when choosing a surgeon and surgical approach.
Compare Hip Replacement ApproachesA Distinctive Approach to Hip Replacement
The Mayo Modified Anterolateral Approach
In my practice, I perform primary hip replacement using the Mayo Modified Anterolateral Approach. I am currently the only surgeon in the St. Louis area using this approach for primary hip replacement.
The approach preserves the posterior soft tissues and allows the operation to be performed without a specialized traction table or intraoperative fluoroscopy. It also provides versatile exposure that can be extended when a more complex reconstruction requires it.
The approach is one part of the operation — not the entire operation. My goal is to use the exposure that allows me to reconstruct the hip accurately, safely, and predictably.
Learn About the Mayo Approach01
Posterior Preservation
The posterior soft-tissue structures are preserved rather than routinely released to access the hip.
02
No Traction Table
The operation does not require a specialized traction table to position or manipulate the leg.
03
No Intraoperative Fluoroscopy
My technique does not require intraoperative fluoroscopy, so there is no fluoroscopy-related radiation exposure during the procedure.
04
Versatile Exposure
The exposure can be extended when needed for more complex reconstruction.
06 · Before Surgery
Know what happens before the day of your operation.
Once you decide to proceed, preparation becomes part of the operation. Medical clearance, glucose control, nicotine cessation, medications, home preparation, and your recovery plan should all be addressed before surgery day.
Preparing for Joint Replacement
Follow the preoperative roadmap from medical evaluation and testing through medications, health optimization, home preparation, and the final days before surgery.
Prepare for Surgery07 · Recovery
Know what to expect after hip replacement.
Recovery happens in stages. Understanding what is normal — and what is not — makes the first several weeks much easier to navigate.
Recovery After Joint Replacement
Follow the recovery roadmap from the first few days through the first several months, including walking, swelling, pain, exercise, driving, work, and warning signs.
See the Recovery RoadmapThe Goal
Understand the problem before deciding on the solution.
Not every painful hip needs surgery, and not every abnormal X-ray explains a patient's pain. My job is to determine what is actually causing the problem, explain the options clearly, and help you decide what makes sense for your life.
Hip Replacement in St. Louis
Still not sure where you are in the process?
If hip pain is limiting your walking, sleep, work, exercise, or the activities you enjoy, an evaluation can help determine what is causing it and whether treatment — surgical or non-surgical — may help.