Hip Specialist
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Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine
Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeons located in Shrewsbury, Toms River, & Wall Township, NJ
Your hips carry the full weight of your body, a load that significantly increases during high-impact sports, lifting heavy objects, and even walking up a flight of stairs. The stress endured by your hips means that hip problems often lead to surgery. David Dickerson, MD, and the team at Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine are experts in treating hip conditions and offer the full range of treatment, from conservative therapies to a total hip replacement. To get help with a painful hip, call the office in Wall Township, Toms River, or Shrewsbury, New Jersey, or schedule an appointment online.
Hip Q & A
What causes a hip fracture?
A hip fracture occurs when you break the upper portion of your femur (thigh bone), where it forms the hip joint. Older patients with osteoporosis can suffer a hip fracture from a minor fall or even while standing still if their bones are too weak.
Hip fractures aren’t common in young and middle-aged adults. When they happen, it’s usually due to contact sports, extreme physical training, or an intense impact such as a car accident. Long-distance runners and people who frequently run are susceptible to stress fractures in their hips.
Surgery is often needed to treat a hip fracture. During surgery, your provider at Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine repairs the fracture and stabilizes the bone with metal screws, plates, and rods.
What type of arthritis affects my hip?
Osteoarthritis frequently affects the large, weight-bearing joints in your body, which includes your hips. Cartilage covers the surfaces inside your hip joint and allows for smooth movement.
Over years of normal wear-and-tear, the cartilage breaks down. As it wears away, bone grates against bone in the joint, causing pain, stiffness, and limited movement. The pain from your hip may radiate out, causing pain in your groin, buttocks, or thigh.
When might I need a total hip replacement?
Most hip replacements treat advanced osteoarthritis. You may need a replacement if you suffer a severe hip fracture with extensive joint damage. Hip replacements also treat avascular necrosis, a condition in which bone cells die due to a restricted blood supply.
What happens during a total hip replacement?
When performing your total hip replacement, your doctor at Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine uses today’s most advanced technology: Mako® Total Hip Robotic-Arm Assisted Surgery. This cutting edge technology creates a 3D model of your hip, which your doctor uses before your surgery to plan your hip replacement and during surgery to ensure precise prosthetic placement that works for your anatomy.
During a total hip replacement, your doctor at Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine removes the rounded ball at the top of your thigh bone and cleans away damaged cartilage and tissues in the hip socket.
Your doctor places a prosthetic metal socket in the hip, securing it with bone cement or screws, and then inserts a liner that serves as your new cartilage. For the next step, they insert a metal stem into the center of your thigh bone and attach a metal ball to the stem. Finally, your doctor inserts the ball into the socket, and your hip replacement is finished.
If you develop hip pain or have difficulty moving, call Performance Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine or schedule an appointment online.
