UbcNews

If you needed new dentures, you wouldn't go to a dentist who built wooden teeth, like they did way back in the past, right?

The same logic should apply to your surgeon - and while the old techniques aren't quite as ancient as wooden teeth, there are newer options that you should at least be aware of, before choosing your surgeon.

In particular, I want to talk about your options for a total hip replacement - because they've changed, for the better.

The old technique was okay, but the new one is amazing - the only downside is that it's not available at most clinics. To access it, you'll need to find a specialist like Prof. Paul Lee, from MSK Doctors in London.

I'll tell you how it works, but if you'd rather get the details right from the surgeon, or book an appointment right now - then check out the MSK Doctors website at the link I left in the description.

The new technique is known as spare, or S P A I R E, and trust me, that's all we'll ever call it - because the full name is a real mouthful.

The full name is “Soft-tissue Preserving, Anatomic, Internus muscle Retaining, External rotator preserving,” or, SPAIRE. Really though, the name doesn't matter to us, unless you're familiar enough with medical terminology that the name explains the procedure....

For those of us who are not medically trained, let me explain - the short version is quite simple.

Imagine all of the muscles, tendons, and other important bits that lay in between your skin, and your hip bone. Traditionally, a lot of those muscles and tendons need to be cut, to get access to your hip, and you can imagine the problems that can cause.

It's a lot to heal, not to mention the new hip itself - but this new technique sidesteps almost all of those problems, in one swoop.

It takes a specially trained surgeon, like Prof. Paul Lee, but with the right technique, they can do practically the same operation, minus all the damage to your muscles and tendons.

What does that mean for you?

Well, to begin with, it means a lot less surgical trauma, and all the benefits that come with that.

For example, you can probably go home in less than 24 hours after your operation, with no mobility restrictions, and that's a big deal.

If you're not familiar with the usual restrictions, normally, here's how it would work.

After the operation, when you finally get to go home, you would be told not to bend your legs past 90 degrees, twist them in and out, or cross them - for good reason.

Doing any of these could cause more trauma, or even dislocate your new hip.

These restrictions have been standard medical practice since we started doing hip replacements, but not anymore, not with the spare technique.

In a 2008 study on the subject, researchers found that even using the latest techniques, aside from spare, clients had a 3.9 to 5.3% chance of causing a dislocation during the healing process. In the same study, clients using the spare technique suffered no post-operative dislocations - so while I won't say that it's impossible to dislocate a hip transplant that used the spare technique, it's certainly way less likely.

The long and short of it is this:

This new technique is better in practically every way - and one day, it will certainly become the standard practice. Unfortunately, right now, only a few specialists are trained to use the spare technique - so if you'd like the benefits, you'll have to find one first.

My suggestion is to talk to Prof. Paul Lee, from MSK Doctors in London.

He learned the technique directly from the inventor, at the Exeter Hip unit, and is one of the very few spare trained and approved specialists in the UK.

As a bonus, Prof. Lee doesn't believe in referrals or waiting lists - so you can book an appointment right now, online, just visit the MSK Doctors website, at the link I left in the description.

MSK Doctors City: Sleaford Address: MSK House London Road Website https://www.mskdoctors.com Phone +44-330-001-0048 Email team@mskdoctors.com