With the evolution of new surgical methods, better anesthesia techniques, and computer navigation systems, surgeons are now able to reduce recovery times after hip replacement. The effects of such methods and technologies allow the surgeon to operate with greater precision and less injury to the body. Minimally Invasive Surgery for Joint Replacement (MIS) is one surgical approach with this goal in mind.
The term, however, can be misleading. In a broad sense, minimally invasive surgery for hip replacement refers to a surgical method that uses a smaller incision. Many surgeons have this goal in mind already, and incorporate it into the existing techniques for a traditional hip replacement. An article put out by the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine reads:
"Minimally invasive surgery variations of both the posterior approach and the lateral approach are popular today, and these involve re-training surgeons to learn how to do the same approach using a smaller skin opening. Most surgeons refer to an incision that is 4 inches or less in length as 'minimally invasive.'"
But there are new surgical methods, also called minimally invasive, which go beyond making the smaller incision. These new surgical methods avoid cutting into the muscle altogether, which distinguishes them from traditional methods. Fewer surgeons are trained in these methods and special instruments and implants are required. One example is the MIS-2 incision hip replacement. The same article put out by the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine describes the difference between a surgical method that makes a smaller incision and the MIS-2:
"What is new is the adaptation of this previously described pathway of reaching the hip joint to a new method of performing hip replacement surgery using two incisions that are very small. More important than the incision size or number is the fact that under the skin, the muscles are spread in their natural planes. The surgeon navigates a path around the muscles, without cutting into them."