Hip Care at Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group

The hip specialists at Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group have helped make Northwestern Medicine Orthopaedics one of the largest joint replacement programs in the Midwest. Hip specialists treat hip pain, bursitis, fractures, dislocations, hip arthritis and osteoarthritis.

Our skilled orthopaedic surgeons provide the latest advances in hip surgery, including minimally invasive procedures, computer navigated hip arthroscopy and anterior hip replacement. Our nonsurgical specialists treat conditions such as bursitis, osteoarthritis and tendinitis, and can offer a range of non-operative treatment options. Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group hip specialists will discuss your joint replacement and reconstruction options and determine whether a surgical hip replacement is right for you.

Northwestern Medicine Regional Medical Group also offers anterior hip replacements. With an anterior hip replacement, surgeons access your hip joint from the front rather than the side or back. In this approach, surgeons can replace the hip joint with less trauma to your body, muscles and tendons, minimizing your pain and speeding recovery. Not all hip replacement candidates are eligible for this type of surgery. Your surgeon will help you decide what the best option is for you.

Mako™ Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery

Hip and knee joints are involved in almost every activity. Walking, bending, turning and other movements require the use of the hip and knee joints. When the hip or knee becomes diseased of injured, the resulting pain can severely limit your ability to function.

One common cause of hip or knee pain is osteoarthritis (OA). OA is sometimes called degenerative arthritis because it is a “wearing out” condition involving the breakdown of cartilage in the joints. When cartilage wears away, the bones rub against each other, causing pain and stiffness.

What is Hip Replacement Surgery

Total Hip Replacement surgery involves the removal of arthritic bone and damaged cartilage, and replacing them with hip implants that are designed to replicate the hip joint.

During surgery, the femur (head of the thigh bone) is replaced with a metal stem and the acetabulum (hip socket) is fitted with a metal cup. The artificial ball is placed on a metal stem, and the artificial socket is lined with polyethylene (a durable plastic).

Mako robotic-arm assisted technology can be used for Total Hip Replacement, which is a procedure designed for patients who suffer from non-inflammatory or inflammatory degenerative joint disease of the hip. This technology provides your surgeon with a patient-specific 3D model to pre-plan your hip replacement. During surgery, your surgeon guides the robotic-arm based on your patient-specific plan. This helps the surgeon to focus on removal of diseased bone, helping preserve healthy bone, and assists your surgeon in positioning the total hip implant based on your anatomy.

How Mako™ Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery Works

Pre-surgery: A personalized plan. It begins with a CT scan of the joint that is used to generate a 3D virtual model of your unique anatomy. This virtual model is loaded into the Mako system software and is used to create a personalized pre-operative plan.

In the operating room. During surgery, your surgeon guides the robotic-arm while preparing the joint and positioning the implant based on the personalized pre-operative plan. The Mako system also allows the surgeon to make adjustments to the plan during surgery, as needed. When the surgeon prepares the bone for the implant, the Mako system guides the surgeon within the pre-defined area and helps prevent the surgeon from moving outside the planned boundaries. This helps provide more accurate placement and alignment of the implant.

After surgery. Your surgeon, nurses and physical therapists will set goals to get you moving again. They will closely monitor your condition and progress. Your surgeon may review an X-ray of the new joint replacement with you.