Practical reading from Professor Paul Lee and the Lincolnshire Hip Clinic team — across hip replacement, Arthrosamid, ChondroFiller, PRP and the wider world of hip and groin pain.
SPAIRE hip replacement is excluded only in revision cases—where prior implant removal demands wider access than the muscle-sparing route provides—and in patients whose anatomy compromises the soft-tissue planes the technique depends on. Beyond these two firm exclusions, suitability is determined individually at consultation.
SPAIRE hip replacement preserves posterior tendons throughout surgery, avoiding their release and reattachment; the bikini incision positions the scar along natural skin creases. Working at different anatomical depths, the two techniques are additive.
ChondroFiller, a collagen scaffold, supports biological repair of focal cartilage loss; Arthrosamid, a permanent hydrogel, cushions joints with diffuse, end-stage wear. The choice turns on the pattern of cartilage damage.
Hip replacement weakens the abductors, causing pelvic drop during walking; rebuilding this strength during weeks 6–12 follows a structured progression from side-lying work to standing single-leg balance.
Hyaluronic acid replenishes joint lubrication for mild-to-moderate hip cartilage wear, while ChondroFiller injection scaffolds worn surfaces with collagen and recruits the body's repair cells for advanced disease.
Weeks after hip replacement, many patients develop a Trendelenburg lurch — a sideways dip with each step — from hip abductor weakness caused by surgical disruption, post-operative swelling, or implant offset; the lurch increases hip joint load and walking energy cost.
Hip replacement via the anterior approach uses a natural muscular corridor without cutting muscle fibres, allowing full weight-bearing from the day after surgery.
ChondroFiller Liquid Cartilage recruits the body's own repair cells into a focal cartilage defect, but requires viable cartilage margins and a mechanically stable hip; bone-on-bone wear, uncorrected impingement, and large lesions therefore exclude patients.
SPAIRE hip replacement preserves the posterior stabilising tendons that conventional posterior approaches must cut, eliminating the need for the strict movement restrictions — no bending beyond 90°, no leg crossing — that define recovery from standard hip replacement.
Lincolnshire Hip Clinic
Led by Professor Paul Lee
Start with a free, non-medical discovery call with our team. We will tell you, honestly, which of our pathways — surgical or non-surgical — fits your situation. No GP referral, no pressure to proceed.
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