Hip Pain and Hip Replacement Surgery

We offer hip pain and hip replacement surgery to serve patients from Louisiana, Mississippi and beyond. Find a location near you.

Common conditions we treat include:

• Arthritis — including osteoarthritis, which is the wear-and-tear type of arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, septic arthritis and post-traumatic arthritis

• Osteonecrosis — death of bone caused by insufficient blood supply

• Congenital dislocation of the hip

• Malalignment of the leg — a condition that can cause reduced range of motion and mismatched leg length

• Injury, fracture or bone tumor that has caused the breakdown of the hip joint

Prior to joint replacement, the Ochsner hip pain and hip replacement surgery team may explore noninvasive treatment options, such as medication and injections to help relieve pain.

If noninvasive treatments don’t work for you, we offer all surgical approaches for total hip replacement surgery including anterior (from the front), posterior (from the back), and lateral (from the side). During hip replacement surgery, the orthopedic surgeon will remove and replace the hip joint with an artificial hip joint.

Ochsner was one of the first hospitals in Southeast Louisiana to perform joint replacement surgery with the Mako Robotic Arm Interactive Orthopedic System. Currently used for total hip replacement surgery and partial and total knee replacement, the Mako robotic arm allows the surgeon to plan where to place the artificial joint prior to surgery. Once placed, the robotic arm then allows the surgeon to place the actual prosthesis in the correct position with about 99% accuracy.

Treatment options also include minimally invasive hip resurfacing, a bone-sparing procedure used for very active patients with arthritis of the hip. During hip resurfacing, our orthopedic surgeons remove the damaged cartilage and bone, and place a smooth cap over the head of the femoral bone (the top of the thigh bone).

After your hip replacement, you will likely begin physical therapy the day of your surgery to reduce the development of blood clots.

Prior to your total joint replacement, you will attend a total joint replacement class. This class is a two-hour seminar taught by a physical therapist, an occupational therapist, a nurse and a social worker to instruct patients and their families on the expectations for total joint replacement. This is designed to introduce you to all the people who will be active in your care and educate you about your upcoming procedure, including care before, during and after your surgery.

Topics covered include:

• Discharge planning

• Family training

• Home health

• Nursing care

• Pain management

• Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and therapy and wellness

• Self-care education

• Total hip replacement education

The risk for arthritis and injuries to joints increases as people age. If you have hip pain that is keeping you from completing daily activities (such as climbing stairs, walking the dog or grocery shopping) or preventing you from living your life, and medication and more conservative treatments just aren’t helping, you might be a candidate for hip replacement, also called hip arthroplasty.

While every person is different, you will likely feel pain in your hip region, which consists of your groin, buttock, upper leg and lower back.