Conservative Treatment Options

There are a number of non-surgical, or conservative, treatment options for osteoarthritis and other forms of arthritis. Typically, non-surgical options start with gentle exercise and physical therapy. As the arthritis becomes more painful and limiting, the non-surgical treatment options become more involved.

Surgery, including joint replacement, is generally only recommended after all other conservative treatment options fail to provide relief. Always talk to your primary care physician or to your orthopedic surgeon before starting any treatment plan. Your doctors will help you develop a plan that will best fit your specific condition.

The ASI Technique: Reducing Trauma to Your Hip

Minimally invasive hip replacement involves more than just a shorter incision. Modern minimally invasive techniques also focus on the way surgeons gain access to the hip joint. The goal is to minimize muscle and tendon disruption, making surgery less traumatic for patients, allowing for shorter hospital stays and quicker recoveries.

Anterior Supine Intermuscular (ASI) Hip Replacement

Unlike traditional minimally invasive hip replacement techniques, the ASI technique uses an incision at the front of the hip instead of the side or back of the hip. This modified incision placement allows surgeons to directly approach the hip joint by going between the muscles that surround the hip joint. Traditional approaches would require cutting the muscles and/or tendons that surround the hip. The ASI minimally invasive hip replacement procedure is designed to reduce the trauma to the tissues surrounding the hip joint. By preserving the muscles and tendons, surgeons may enable their patients to walk the day of surgery, to experience less postoperative pain, and to return to daily activities more quickly.¹

How is the Biomet® ASI Technique Unique?

Biomet worked with leading surgeons to develop unique instrumentation to make the ASI approach reproducible for other surgeons. Similar techniques require a special, costly operating fracture table. The ASI technique can be performed on either this special fracture table or on a traditional operating room table. Hundreds of thousands of people undergo total hip replacement every year in the United States. Many patients are not candidates for other minimally invasive hip surgery techniques due to obesity or other considerations. The ASI technique has the advantage of potentially offering a minimally invasive option for patients who would not otherwise be considered for other minimally invasive approaches.

Potential Benefits of the ASI Technique are:¹

• Shorter hospital stays
• Earlier mobilization
• Accelerated recovery process
• Less blood loss

Total Hip Replacement

When non-operative treatment fails to control the discomfort and stiffness from arthritis of the hip, your surgeon may recommend total hip replacement. Joint replacement implants, typically made from metal alloy and polyethylene (plastic), are used to resurface the joint. Newer implants with metal sockets are now being used in selective patients. Total hip replacement replaces the upper end of the femur (thighbone) and resurfaces the acetabulum (socket). The implants are designed to restore function and eliminate as much discomfort as possible while allowing you to return to a more active lifestyle.

Rehabilitation and walking begin the day after surgery, and your hospital stay is normally 3 to 4 days. Therapy will begin in the hospital and usually continues after discharge for approximately six to twelve weeks.

Joint replacement surgery of the hip has been extremely successful in helping patients with arthritis return to their normal activities and relieve their discomfort.