Following hip replacement surgery, any patient's goal is to heal enough to get back home and walking again. It's a goal shared by the orthopedic surgery team at the joint replacement program at McLaren Macomb and the motivation behind their preference for the direct anterior approach during hip replacements. "In the world of joint replacement procedures, this is very minimally-invasive," said Dr. Andrew Ajluni, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon and director of the joint replacement program. "We've achieved a continually-high rate of success with this approach and patients experience quicker recoveries, less pain and lasting results." McLaren Macomb's orthopedic surgical staff are all trained on the direct anterior approach and were the first in Macomb County to perform this procedure. As opposed to lateral or posterior approaches, the direct anterior approach goes between two muscle groups-not having to cause any muscle or connective tissue disturbance by cutting into them. The incision is no more than 3 to 4 inches rather than 8 to 12 inches as seen in traditional approaches. This less invasive approach leads to less pain, shorter hospital stays and quicker returns to activity. "In 70 percent of cases, our patients go home the next day instead of two to three days later," Dr. Ajluni said. "And when they're home, they're recovering faster with less restrictions-they're back to walking sooner, there's less limping and they can even cross their legs." The program was recently recognized with the Blue Distinction Center+ designation from the Blue Cross, Blue Shield Association, listing McLaren Macomb as a preferred provider for hip and knee replacement, meeting and exceeding criteria that includes expertise of the medical team, number of times the facility has performed the procedures and track record of procedure results. For more information on hip replacements and the joint replacement program at McLaren Macomb, visit mclaren.org/macombortho