Hip Replacement Medically reviewed by Thomas D. Ferro, M.D. in Oklahoma City, OK

If it's positioned well, your new hip may serve you for decades. A landmark review of national joint registries tracked survival over the long term: roughly 89% of hip replacements were still functioning at 15 years, 70% at 20 years, and 58% at 25 years.[1] NanoHip™ uses patient-specific positioning and modern implant designs to support a hip that lasts without activity restrictions, and because placement is so closely tied to durability, your anatomy is mapped before surgery begins.

A big one. Fit and placement are among the few variables the surgical team can fully control, so NanoHip™ starts with a CT-based 3D plan. On it, biomedical engineers size your cup and stem to your bone and lay out their positions, your leg length and your offset, and your surgeon approves everything in advance. Planning in 3D improves accuracy. When researchers compared it with X-ray templating in 200 patients, CT-based 3D planning matched the correct stem size 88% of the time (versus 69%) and the correct cup size 96% of the time (versus 56%). It also reduced offset errors greater than 3 mm from 23% of patients to 5% and varus stem placement from 10% to 2%, with no early fractures or subsidence in the 3D group compared with three in the X-ray group.[3] NanoHip™ combines this proprietary 3D modeling with FDA-cleared implants that have long registry histories, refining implant placement while limiting trauma to soft tissue.

NanoHip™ was built for people who've been told they need a hip replacement and who want to heal at home, stay active, and have an implant planned around their own anatomy. It serves younger and older patients alike who want the highest possible function after surgery. At your consultation, your NanoHip™ surgeon will confirm your candidacy and discuss the approach that best fits your situation.

Most patients try conservative care first. Options your surgeon may recommend include changing how you exercise or move, managing your weight, physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medication, and corticosteroid injections. Your NanoHip™ surgeon will review your history and imaging to suggest what fits your condition. Once arthritis has progressed past the point where these measures help, hip replacement offers reliable long-term relief.

It's handled before surgery. Your leg length and offset, meaning the distance between your hip and the center of your body, are planned on your 3D model, so your surgeon enters the operating room with specific targets. In a 200-patient comparison, CT-based 3D planning reduced offset errors of more than 3 mm from 23% of patients to 5%.[3]

NanoHip™ is minimally invasive. Its muscle-sparing approaches reach the hip by passing between muscles, and randomized trials report that patients tend to have an easier first few weeks with them.[7] For long-term function, however, restoring your anatomy accurately matters more than how small the incision is. The size and placement of your implant determine how your hip performs over time, and your 3D plan settles both before surgery.[3]

You'll receive spinal (regional) anesthesia with “twilight” sedation instead of a general anesthetic, which keeps you comfortable and unaware during the procedure. In a national analysis of more than 380,000 joint replacements, patients who had spinal anesthesia saw lower 30-day mortality and fewer complications than those who had general anesthesia.[5] General anesthesia is used only for patients for whom it's the safer choice.

At home. NanoHip™ is an outpatient procedure, and most patients leave about two hours after surgery. Studies on outpatient hip replacement are extensive, and a meta-analysis of 20 studies found no difference in complications versus inpatient surgery, while letting patients recover in familiar surroundings.[6] Your surgeon will confirm that going home the same day is safe for you.

Typically 90 minutes to two hours. With your implant sizes, positions, leg length and offset already set in your 3D plan, your surgeon faces fewer time-pressured decisions in the operating room, and benefits from the insights of NanoKnee's proprietary 3D Blueprinting® plan, offered nowhere else.

Most NanoHip™ patients are walking within hours of their procedure and doing light activities by the end of the first week. Recovery generally follows this arc:

• 7–14 days: everyday life resumes
• 2–6 weeks: moderate activity returns
• 6–8 weeks: an active lifestyle without limits

Not usually. Most NanoHip™ patients recover with a surgeon-guided home exercise program, and formal outpatient physical therapy is arranged only if your surgeon recommends it. You'll walk the day of surgery, and after your incision heals, usually within two weeks, you'll add strengthening, cycling and low-impact activities like swimming. Track your progress and connect with your care team through the NanoKnee app.

Most NanoHip™ patients return to the activities they love, including running and skiing, as well as walking, cycling, golf, swimming, hiking and tennis, without restrictions. In 37 studies covering 6,485 hip replacement patients, more than 80% returned to their pre-symptom level of sport after an average of about five months, most commonly in low- and moderate-impact activities.[8]

For most patients, yes. Most regain the motion needed for daily life and sports, and many recover movement lost to years of arthritis. Your 3D plan positions the cup and stem to restore your hip's center of rotation and offset, keeping the joint stable through its full range. Improvement continues for a year after surgery, and our goal is to give back the mobility that arthritis and wear have taken.

Your scar will come from a single incision, usually 4 to 6 inches long, closed with absorbable sutures and a cosmetic technique that keeps scarring to a minimum. Most incisions heal within two weeks, and you'll keep protecting the area for a few weeks more.

Any hip replacement can involve infection, blood clots, dislocation, fracture, unequal leg length, nerve injury, implant loosening over time, and risks related to anesthesia. NanoHip™'s standard practices target several of these: spinal anesthesia is associated with fewer perioperative complications than general anesthesia,[5] and pre-operative 3D planning addresses the component position, leg length and offset problems that underlie instability and loosening, the two most common reasons for revision.[2][3] Your surgeon will review the risks that apply to you and plan to keep them as low as possible.

Highly effective. Hip replacement is often described as one of the most successful operations in modern medicine. Since 2012, the American Joint Replacement Registry has recorded more than 4.4 million hip and knee replacements,[9] and a study of 850 hip replacement patients found only 7% dissatisfied one year after surgery.[4] Serious complications are uncommon, and some risks can be lowered before surgery even begins. A national analysis of more than 380,000 joint replacements tied spinal anesthesia to lower 30-day mortality and fewer in-hospital complications than general anesthesia.[5] NanoHip™ procedures are performed by board-certified orthopedic surgeons under spinal anesthesia with sedation, while our proprietary 3D modeling supports consistent implant placement and a muscle-sparing approach tailored to your anatomy.

No fixed limit exists. Older adults with advanced arthritis have hip replacements routinely, and many gain substantial mobility and quality of life as a result. Your overall health is what determines candidacy, and every NanoHip™ patient is evaluated before surgery. NanoHip™'s standard spinal anesthesia is associated with fewer perioperative complications than general anesthesia.[5]

The surgery itself. Hip replacement is covered by Medicare and most commercial plans when medically necessary, but the pre-operative 3D planning and engineering are not, and depending on your plan, you may pay up to $8,500 for them. Our patient navigators will confirm your coverage and expected costs before you commit, and financing is offered for the portions insurance doesn't cover.

Neither. Your surgeon performs your hip replacement, with no robot in the operating room. AI is used only during planning, to help our biomedical engineers turn your CT scan into a 3D model, and your surgeon reviews and approves the result. NanoHip™'s precision comes from that pre-operative plan, not from operating room technology.