The Hip Arthroscopy Center at Emory-Adventist Hospital is a comprehensive group of hip arthroscopy resources focused on exceptional patient care.

Program features and benefits:

• A highly trained experienced hip arthroscopy surgeon, a specially trained and seasoned surgical team that has performed hundreds of hip arthroscopy cases and the ability to address a wide range of hip arthroscopy procedures.
• Specialized hip arthroscopy equipment that provides safe, effective, and improved surgical results.
• Comprehensive follow-up and educational support for patients and healthcare providers so you can understand all the ins and outs of hip arthroscopy surgery.
• A convenient hospital campus with free parking where you can get your  radiologic imaging, physical therapy, and laboratory services all in one stop.

At the Hip Arthroscopy Center at Emory-Adventist Hospital you will find a convenient one-stop resource for your hip arthroscopy needs.  Our campus is located in Metro Atlanta, 2.7 miles outside of  I-285 on South Cobb Drive (Exit 15 off  I-285).

The Hip Arthroscopy Center is a result of our Medical Director, Dr. Jon Hyman’s,  commitment to establish and offer a comprehensive Hip Arthroscopy resource to serve patients in the Southeast.

Dr. Hyman is a Board Certified Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sports Medicine Specialist. Aside from surgical and technical expertise, he provides second opinion evaluations, hip arthroscopy revisions and advanced hip arthroscopy procedures. 

Click here for a link to more information about Dr. Hyman. 

What is Hip Arthroscopy?

Hip arthroscopy also known as hip “keyhole” surgery involves two or three barely visible skin punctures (about the size of the end of an straw) into the hip joint and surrounding compartments in order to allow access for a camera and an assortment of instruments.  Hip arthroscopy is a procedure with very specific uses.  Though it requires highly technical equipment and surgical expertise, it is performed as a minimally invasive outpatient surgical procedure.  Hip arthroscopy offers a minimally invasive alternative to “open” surgeries which involve a larger and deeper incision area that often destroys healthy tissue in the process of performing it.

“Open” surgical technique destroys more healthy tissue, involves longer rehabilitation time, presents an increase chance of complications, a reduced hope for “full” return to a high demand functional level of activity (i.e. tennis, football, soccer, etc..) and a several days of inpatient stay at the hospital. 

Since hip arthroscopy is minimally invasive, patients benefit from the procedure being performed on an outpatient basis, faster recovery time, and increased preservation of healthy tissue compared with other surgical techniques.

Hip arthroscopy offers younger active patients (typically ages 15 to 55) an early intervention of their hip condition(s) which can eliminate, lessen, or prolong the need for more invasive “open” surgical procedures.  Prior to the current advancements in hip arthroscopy, individuals were either misdiagnosed because physicians were not able to see in the deep hip joint to determine their specific problem or lived with their dysfunction and or pain until their condition worsened and required more invasive surgical options or developed a severe disability.

Common symptoms include:

• Unexplained hip or groin pain upon movement
• Snapping hip syndrome
• Inability to flex or rotate the hip(s) without pain
• Pain on hip flexion or bending at the hips
• Hip pain when sitting
• Hip pain going up stairs
• Hip pain when picking something up off the ground

Conditions that hip arthroscopy can address are:

• Femoral Acetabular Impingements (Cam & Pincer)-  the ball (femoral head) and socket (acetabulum) rub abnormally creating damage to the hip joint
• Labral tears – involves tearing of the ring of soft elastic tissue, called the labrum, that follows the outside rim of the socket of your hip joint
• Synovitis - inflammation of the synovial membrane. This membrane lines joints which possess cavities, known as synovial joints.
• Loose bodies - fragments of bone in the joint
• Gluteus medius and minimus tears – tears of muscles or tendons in the buttocks
• Hip capsule laxity and instability
• Bursitis - inflammation of the fluid-filled sac (bursa) that lies between a tendon and skin, or between a tendon and bone
• Osteochondral lesions – a tear or fracture in the cartilage covering one of the bones in a joint
• Ligamentum teres injuries – the ligament that connects the ball of the hip joint (femoral head) to the hip socket (acetabulum)
• In some rare cases, mild or early osteoarthritis

Possible risks include:

• Nerve stretch
• Deep venous thrombosis – blood clot in the vein
• Scuffing, scratching or gouging joint cartilage
• Broken wires, shavers, or beaver blade tips
• Retained loose or foreign bodies
• Skin cell death due to pinched skin
• Numbness around genitals, vaginal tearing, impotence
• Unknown radiation effects

Very rare complications include:

Infection, fracture, leakage, dislocation of the hip joint, broken anchors or implants, bleeding into joint spaces, displaced anchors or sutures, symptom(s) worsening in about 5% of patients, and entrapped drains.

When Hip Arthroscopy may not be appropriate:

Hip Arthroscopy may not be best suited in some cases of obesity, excessive stiffness, moderate or severe arthritis, when there’s been extensive prior surgery, or in cases of bone cell death due to low or absent blood supply.

Address: 3949 South Cobb Dr, Smyrna, Georgia 30080-6300
Phone: 770-801-4634     website: www.emoryadventist.org