Patient Recovers From Spontaneous
Hip Fracture With Minimally Invasive Approach
"What struck me most about her was her inability to walk," begins Dr. Denis Williams, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Endeavor Health Medical Group.
The patient originally presented to the Emergency Department with knee pain, but when x-rays showed that her knees looked fine, Dr. Williams had the training and intuition to look further.
"It's a classic finding in medical school that if someone is presenting with knee pain you should also look at the hips," said Dr. Williams. "The moment I saw how bad her hip was I eliminated several options. Conservative treatments really would not have applied to her."
"She had spontaneously fractured her hip due to horrible arthritis," said Dr. Williams. "I told her, 'We can fix this for you, and we can fix this quickly. You'll get your life back immediately."
Because the patient was in good health and at a healthy weight, Dr. Williams determined that he could perform the hip replacement using the minimally invasive anterior approach. By approaching the hip from the front, instead of the side or back, specialized surgeons can avoid cutting important muscles, leading to less pain and a quicker recovery.
"She improved almost immediately," said Dr. Williams. "She was up and walking and was discharged the next day. In three days she had gotten rid of her cane and was walking unassisted."
Denis Williams, M.D., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with Endeavor Health Medical Group. His specialties include hip and knee arthroplasty, joint replacement surgery, shoulder and elbow surgery, sport medicine, direct anterior hip replacements and fractures of the extremities.
To schedule an appointment, please call 773-907-7750.
By David Modica | Published April 19, 2018
