Dr. Austin Chen Returns Local Scientist to Active Lifestyle With Anterior Hip Replacement

When 61-year-old local resident Philip Anderson started to experience hip pain that was restricting his active lifestyle, he decided he was ready to seek expert care.

Being a scientist, Philip did his homework and learned what he could about the latest procedures and the expertly trained specialists who perform them. After research and consultation at BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine, he turned to fellowship-trained hip preservation and reconstruction surgeon Dr. Austin Chen, who is well-known for his expertise in treating patients just like Philip.

“Dr. Chen was very approachable and up-front with me regarding treatment plans,” says Philip. “I was able to ask him a lot of questions, and he gave me a number of resources on the options available to me.”

After discussing the best option for Philip, Dr. Chen performed the anterior approach for total hip replacement with robotic assistance.

The anterior approach to a total hip replacement is a muscle-sparing procedure and significantly reduces the immediate recovery time from surgery compared to that of the more traditional posterior approach. By accessing the hip joint from the front instead of the side or back, the surgeon is able to spare more tissue and have significantly less blood loss, which in turn helps with a quicker recovery.

“Living in Boulder, I was a fairly active person like most people living here,” says Philip. “Before surgery, I couldn’t ski or do a lot of the things I liked to do, like hiking.”

Following his procedure, recovery has gone quite well, according to Philip. “I was back to work 10 days after the procedure. Now I’m feeling great.”

To learn more about the anterior approach to a total hip replacement procedure at BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine or Dr. Chen, schedule an appointment online or call 303.449.2730.