If hip pain or hip arthritis is beginning to affect your quality of life, you may be asking yourself: Where is a hip surgeon near me? Look no further than Outpatient Joint Replacement Center of America (OJRCA) in Tampa, FL, headed by Philip “Flip” Clifford, M.D., AAHKS, AAOS, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon.
Degenerative osteoarthritis is the primary reason people need a hip replacement procedure. Over time, osteoarthritis wears away cartilage covering the joint, leading to progressive breakdown of the joint and underlying bone. While many people who need joint replacement are 55 and older, many young people (especially athletes) undergo surgery as well. Hip injuries and trauma can cause the premature development of traumatic osteoarthritis, a condition that affects more young, active people.
If you think a hip replacement procedure is on the horizon for you, keep reading to learn more about how OJRCA stands apart from other surgery centers.
When Is Hip Replacement Surgery a Treatment Option?
Hip replacement surgery is usually the last treatment option your doctor will recommend. If you have hip pain or a medical condition like arthritis, your doctor’s first course of action will be to prescribe nonsurgical measures. These treatments may include medications and injections to relieve pain and inflammation, physical therapy to strengthen joints and muscles, a regular exercise program, and weight management. If you have hip arthritis, conservative treatments can help you manage your condition, preserve joint function, and stay active for several years.
Even with good management, a progressive condition like arthritis may continue to cause pain, cartilage and bone breakdown, and significant joint damage. Eventually, chronic degeneration will require joint replacement surgery. Your doctor may recommend surgery if you have the following:
- Persistent pain, even with medications and treatment
- Severe pain and stiffness that affects your ability to walk, climb stairs, stand up, and perform other daily movements
- Loss of joint mobility and inability to exercise
- Pain that interferes with sleep
Once hip pain and mobility issues start affecting your quality of life and mental and emotional health, it’s time to talk to your doctor about finding a qualified orthopedic surgeon to discuss your surgery options. Keep in mind that not all surgery options are equal. Some orthopedists operate using invasive techniques that require weeks or months of intensive rehabilitation afterward. All too often, patients who undergo traditional hip replacement surgery are forced to spend several months (and several thousand dollars) in in-patient rehabilitation centers, learning how to walk again.
Luckily, there are other options available.
Why Choose OJRCA?
At OJRCA, we specialize in performing outpatient, minimally invasive hip replacement procedures for patients with serious joint pain and damage from arthritis. Although in-patient surgery has been the standard for years, we’ve found that over 90% of cases can be performed as outpatient procedures in an ambulatory surgery center (ASC). And although invasive surgical techniques have been the standard for years, we’ve found that minimally invasive techniques cause much less muscle, tendon, and tissue damage, lower the risk of postoperative infections, and require smaller incisions (only 3-5 inches long).
What really sets OJRCA apart is our advanced, unique pain protocols. We’ve been developing our pain protocols for over 7 years now to ensure that patients feel as little pain as possible during and after their surgery. We use local anesthetic blocks that limit pain signals for 2-3 days AFTER surgery without affecting muscle function. What does this mean for patients? First of all, because they feel less pain following surgery, many of our patients only require a few days of narcotic medications before switching to over-the-counter pain relievers. And second of all, with minimal pain more of our patients are motivated to walk directly after surgery. Getting up and mobile as soon as possible helps prevent dangerous blood clots and painful stiffness. We aim to have our patients up and walking within 2 hours following surgery.
Our Tampa clinic is headed by Philip “Flip” Clifford, M.D., AAHKS, AAOS. Dr. Clifford is a talented, board-certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in outpatient joint replacement procedures. He’s worked hard over several years to develop gold-standard anesthetic and surgical protocols to ensure that as many patients as possible are candidates for outpatient surgery.
How Effective Is Surgery?
Hip replacement surgery is one of the most successful medical procedures for reducing pain and restoring hip joint mobility for patients with arthritic joints. Advancement in pain management and minimally invasive surgical techniques have only made the procedure safer and more effective over time. Additionally, advancements in prosthetic materials have made artificial joints longer-lasting, ensuring that young people who receive the procedure have years of use ahead of them. We know that thinking about surgery can be frightening, but here at OJRCA we offer a safe outpatient procedure that can get you back to being active and enjoying life. It’s not necessary for you to live with debilitating pain.
Of course, surgery is only successful if you dedicate yourself to the hard work of physical therapy afterward. Unlike with invasive surgery, you won’t need months of in-patient rehabilitation before you’re back on your feet. Instead, you’ll begin your outpatient physical therapy at a clinic near you the day after surgery. Many of our patients return to work and normal activities within a few days to weeks, but that requires giving your all and working hard during the rehabilitation process.
Call OJRCA to Learn About Outpatient Joint Replacement Surgery
If hip pain from arthritis is keeping you from being active and enjoying the quality of life that you deserve, it may be time to consider outpatient joint replacement surgery. At Outpatient Joint Replacement Centers of America, we’re committed to helping you reclaim your health and former activity levels. Please call us at 813-492-4758 or reach out online to schedule an appointment at our Tampa, FL, clinic.
