PIEDMONT TRIAD, NORTH CAROLINA November 2006 In September, Allston J. Stubbs, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon with the North Carolina Sports Medicine Institute, performed the first hip arthroscopy procedure in North Carolina to treat early degenerative joint disease and the resulting soft tissue injury. The procedure is designed to address patients’ hip pain and delay the need for a total hip replacement.

 

“Early degenerative hip disease in younger patients has not really been well understood in the past,” Dr. Stubbs explains. “But during the last 10 years, we’ve come to understand that, for some patients, too much friction in the hip joint creates tears in the cartilage, resulting in early-onset arthritis of the hip. Previously, patients were told that they would probably need a total hip replacement, but for younger patients who are more active, we try to get them back to the activities they enjoy and preserve their hip for as long as possible. If I can get them five additional years before they need a total hip replacement, that’s progress.”

 

The reason, Dr. Stubbs says, is that even with today’s joint replacements lasting longer than their predecessors do, they’re still not designed for 50-plus years of service. So, a 30-year-old patient who undergoes total hip replacement will most likely need to have the procedure repeated two or three more times during their life. The longer a patient can wait before a total hip replacement is necessary, the less likely they will need additional surgeries in the future.

Besides being able to potentially hold off a total hip replacement for several years, the hip preservation procedure Dr. Stubbs performs is also unique in terms of its application. Although a highly effective equivalent exists in Europe, that surgery requires a 10-inch incision, along with dislocation of the hip, before the damaged tissue can be repaired and the problematic friction reduced, along with a three- to five-day hospitalization. The arthroscopic version Dr. Stubbs performs is an outpatient procedure that utilizes two to four incisions of 1 cm each, through which the physician can enter the hip joint, repair the soft tissue injuries and remove the friction.

 

The procedure isn’t recommended for everyone, though. The recovery period is about four months and includes intensive physical therapy. If a patient is older, Dr. Stubbs says he generally recommends a total hip replacement instead of the arthroscopic procedure, which typically only requires about a two-month healing period.

“Ultimately, we really address each patient individually and help them find the procedure that works best for them,” Dr. Stubbs says.

 

NCSMI Featured in M.D. News Cover Story

 

One-of-a-Kind Knee and Hip Care (excerpt)

News

The North Carolina Sports Medicine Institute is an orthopaedic sports medicine clinic based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Its philosophy is to provide premium orthopaedic treatment “For the Athlete in All of Us”.  Allston J. Stubbs, M.D., an attending surgeon at the clinic, has the highest level of orthopaedic sports medicine training and is the only orthopaedic surgeon in North Carolina with a formal fellowship in hip arthroscopy.

Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 NCSMI PLLC

All Rights Reserved

M.D. News

November 2006

®