The Best Hip Replacement Surgeons in Houston

There are dozens of doctors who perform total hip replacement in the Houston area. Finding the right surgeon for you can feel overwhelming.

Don’t worry, we’re here to help. At Best Practice Health, we screen hip replacement surgeons for five criteria. If an orthopedic surgeon meets them all, we certify them for total knee replacement. Fortunately, Houstonians have access to plenty of great surgeons who are Best Practice Certified for total hip replacement.

At the end of this article we will show you a list of certified total hip replacement surgeons to choose from. But let’s start by going over some things you need to know about hip replacement, and the qualities we look for in a joint replacement surgeon. By the end you will have all the information you need to choose the best surgeon for you.

The first factor to consider in a hip replacement surgeon is experience. Total Hip Replacement is major surgery, and practice makes perfect.

Patient satisfaction with joint replacement surgery is more consistent among surgeons who replace more than 100 joints per year. You also want a surgeon who is well past the learning curve. For us, the ideal surgeon has done over 1,000 knee replacement surgeries in the past and is currently doing at least 100 joint replacements per year.

Hip replacement can come with a number of potential complications including infection, instability, loosening, mechanical implant failure, fracture, persistent pain, leg length discrepancy and, in the wrong hands, even death. Experienced, higher volume surgeons have half the complications of their peers. Most of us feel we can trust our doctors, but amazingly, 93% of hip replacement surgeons do not qualify as high volume.

Experience in the operating room is crucial to success, but it’s not everything. You also want a hip surgeon who has the right training. We verify each orthopedic surgeon we credential is board-certified, fellowship trained, and specializes in hip replacements.

So far we have emphasized the surgeon, but hip replacement surgery needs a team, and it has to happen somewhere. Facilities and the people who staff them are important to consider when choosing where to have your surgery.

Although it’s a major surgery, you probably won’t need to spend any time in a hospital for total hip replacement. The best way to get it done today is through an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). ASC’s eliminate the risk of hospital error and infection, and you can go home the same day of your surgery. The surgeons we certify primarily operate out of ASCs.

We talked about the surgeon and the facility. But you can’t forget about the surgery itself. Modern best practice for a total hip replacement surgery calls for robotic assistance.

Robotic assisted hip replacement surgery gained popularity in recent years because it is more accurate, reduces the risk of dislocation, and the computer helps your surgeon select the perfect implants to maximize range of motion. Orthopedic surgeons who perform robotic surgery have access to real-time imaging and precise measurements, allowing for more accurate selection and placement of the implants.

Despite these proven benefits, only a small percentage of surgeons use robotic assistance in their surgeries. Don’t gamble with your future, instead opt for a doctor that uses the best resources available.

Before we give you the list of your top choices in Houston, there are two more thing to consider- let’s talk about the implant first. Can you imagine opening your mailbox one day and receiving a recall letter not for your car, but for your hip? It happens.

That’s why you want an implant with a proven track record of success and is determined by surgical registry data to have a low rate of complications. Best Practice Health reviews the Australian and American registries for safe implants that stand the test of time, and the surgeons we certify all use registry-proven implants.

The last thing to consider when choosing your orthopedic surgeon is their approach. Legacy orthopedic surgeons operate from the back, called the posterior approach. While that surgery is easier to perform for the surgeon, it sacrifices muscle tissue that leads to a longer recovery, more pain, and permanent weakness of the hip joint.
Today, the best surgeons use a minimally invasive procedure. There are three minimally invasive approaches. The anterior approach involves an incision in the front of your thigh. The lateral (side) approaches are the direct superior and superPATH. In addition to faster recovery and less pain, these approaches result in no permanent restrictions.

Now that you know what we look for in our surgeons, here’s our list of Best Practice certified orthopedic surgeons for total hip replacement in Houston.