Customizing hip replacement to fit your anatomy

According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, about 243,000 hip replacement surgeries are performed in the United States each year, a number that is predicted to rise as the baby boomers begin to experience arthritis and other degenerative joint disorders. With more  patients wanting to maintain an active lifestyle, even after hip replacement surgery, physicians are looking for ways to provide their patients with the very best when it comes to hip replacement surgery. 

Hip replacement surgery used to take a “one-size-fits-all” approach, meaning there were limited options when it came to sizing. Many surgeons felt this strategy failed to address the needs of their patients and prevented them from providing the treatment outcomes both they and the patient desired.

Today, The STATURE ™ Modular Hip Reconstruction platform, developed by Wright Medical, is allowing doctors to customize joints to specifically meet a patient’s individual needs while providing increased range of motion and reduced recovery time. 

The concept behind Wright’s STATURE™ Modular Hip Reconstruction platform is simple: no two patients are alike. 

Apurva Dalal, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in joint replacement at Tri State Orthopedics in Memphis, Tenn., has been performing hip replacement surgeries for 10 years and quit using other replacement systems when he discovered STATURE™ Modular Hip platform  three years ago.

“My patients come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are large and some small, and everyone’s hip anatomy is different too,” says Dr. Dalal. “Wright’s STATURE™ system is not designed based on gender, after all, you may be a short male, or a tall female. Whether a patient is male or female, I am able to reconstruct a joint that fits each patient’s unique physical needs.” 

In addition to being able to customize STATURE™ hips based on a patient’s stature, the joint also provides patients with an increased range of motion. Wright’s hip replacement products are designed with a much larger diameter femoral head component than traditional hip replacements, so that their size and shape mimics the body’s natural anatomy much more closely. 

In contrast, traditional hip replacements have offered much more limited choices that are not modular - in that there are only three components to the system - a cup, a head and a fixed neck stem. This one-size-fits-all approach may limit the degree of success of the surgery.

In some cases, using a fixed neck system, instead of a modular neck system, may force the tendons in the hip joint to become over- or under-tensioned, resulting in an unbalanced repair. In other instances, using a fixed neck instead of a modular neck system may cause a discrepancy in leg length to occur. Any of these possible scenarios may influence the quality of your gait post-operatively or your satisfaction with your surgical result.

An additional benefit of the STATURE™ Modular Hip system, is the ability to place the implant components using tissue-preserving surgical techniques. Preventing soft-tissue damage is crucial during surgery in order to limit the amount of pain and discomfort the patient will experience after the procedure. The modular components of the STATURE™ system allow surgeons to maneuver the parts through a small incision, preserving soft tissue. Other systems may require larger incisions and more manipulation to place parts inside the patient’s joint properly, which can also affect the length of recovery from surgery.

Of course, all patients heal differently and results are never guaranteed. Only a physician can determine if this particular system is right for a patient’s situation and anatomy. For more information on this system and to have a consultation with Dr. Dalal regarding your hip please call 901-333-2525.

STATURE ™ Modular Hip Reconstruction was developed by Arlington, Tenn.-based Wright Medical Technology, Inc. Wright Medical Group, Inc., is a global orthopedic medical device company specializing in the design, manufacturing and marketing of reconstructive joint devices and biologics. The company has been in business for more than 50 years and markets its products in over 60 countries worldwide. For more information about Wright Medical, visit our website at  www.hips4fastrecovery.com.