In the U.S., surgeons perform more than 500 thousand hip replacements every year. That number is only expected to increase as our population ages.

If you or a loved one needs a hip replacement, expect it to take about four to eight weeks to fully recover.

“Hip surgery is no small deal,” Gregory Mendez, an orthopedic surgeon at Mercy Medical Center, said.

A new surgical technique — the direct previous total hip arthroplasty — has been gaining popularity, and is helping people walk on their own up to six days faster. 

Surgeons make a small incision about three to six inches long near the front of the hip. Guided by real-time X-rays, they move muscle tissue aside instead of cutting through them like in traditional procedures.

“So, when we replace the hip, we're replacing the socket and the ball,” Mendez said, adding that the artificial hip is then implanted. 

“Theoretically, there's no muscle healing that needs to happen. Patients are usually up and about the day of surgery — if not the day after surgery,” Mendez said.

Doctors warn that this approach is still surgery, so talk to your provider about your symptoms and request thorough exams before exploring any hip replacement surgery option.

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