Palm Beach Gardens Lving - September 2026

4 PA L M B E A C H G A R D E N S L I V I N G | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 2 6 I t may sound odd to anyone who’s not a medical professional, but surgeons frequently have favorite procedures when it comes to the surgeries they perform. For orthopedic specialist Dr. Gavin Hart, it’s anterior hip replacement, a surgery for patients whose arthritic hips have limited their ability to perform their favorite activities and enjoy life without pain. “It’s an approach that’s a little bit tougher to do than traditional hip replacement surgery, but it’s worth pursuing,” says Dr. Hart. “It’s my favorite surgery to do because the results are so quick and so dramatic.” MUSCLE-SPARINGACCESS TOTHE HIP JOINT Anterior hip replacement surgery has been available for more than a decade, “but it’s become much more prevalent over the past five years or so,” Dr. Hart explains. “It’s a way of getting to the hip joint that has a lot of advantages. The biggest benefit is that we go in between a patient’s muscles to get to the hip—we don’t cut any major hip muscles.” During traditional hip replacement surgery, he points out, the surgeon cuts through some of the gluteal muscles to access the hip and perform the joint replacement. “At the end of traditional surgery, those muscles are repaired, but there can be some lingering muscle dysfunction and pain that accompanies those approaches,” he explains. EXPERT CONTRIBUTOR – By Sue MacDonald | Photo provided by Jupiter Medical Center – ANewApproach to Hip Replacement Surgery Spares Muscles, Speeds Recovery There are other important advantages compared to traditional hip replacement. Because anterior hip replacement is a muscle- and ligament-sparing approach, patients have a lower chance of dislocation or limp after surgery compared to traditional hip replacement. Furthermore, they are often able to get off their walkers and canes sooner because their muscles recover faster postoperatively. AN OUTPATIENT OPTION FOR SOME – AND LESS POST-OP PAIN Anterior hip replacement typically results in less post-operative pain and quicker recoveries for most patients, Dr. Hart says. Patients either stay one night in the hospital or are sometimes able to return home the same day and perform rehab at home. “By 6-8 weeks after surgery, I expect my patients to be back doing most of the things they like to do, often walking several miles a day,” says Dr. Hart. “Anterior hip replacement really is a game changer; I never get tired of seeing happy patients back in my office who have been able to get their lives back after living with hip pain for years.” Dr. Hart is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee arthritis and performing joint replacement surgery at Jupiter Medical Center. To learn more about robotic surgery or find a specialist, visit jupitermed.com, call (561) 263-2234, or follow Jupiter Medical Center on Facebook and Instagram @jupitermedicalcenter or on Twitter @JupiterMedCtr Dr. Gavin Hart