Hip Replacement in Portland, OR

Hip replacement is typically recommended after osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, or another form of joint damage has progressed to the point where physical therapy, medication, and activity changes no longer provide meaningful relief. Your surgeon may recommend one of two surgical approaches, and which one depends on your anatomy, your surgeon's training, and your specific case.

The anterior approach reaches the hip joint from the front of the body, working between muscles rather than cutting through them, which can mean a faster initial recovery and fewer movement restrictions afterward for some patients. The posterior approach, a more traditional technique, reaches the joint from the back and remains an excellent option, particularly for certain hip anatomies or more complex cases. Neither approach is universally better; your surgeon will recommend whichever one fits your hip.

If you're still earlier in that conversation, your care team at Orthopedic + Fracture Specialists(opens in a new tab) can walk you through your full range of options.

What to Expect Before, During & After Surgery

Before Your Surgery. In the weeks leading up to your procedure, you'll have a pre-operative appointment where your surgical team reviews your health history and gives you specific instructions on medications to pause beforehand, nutrition, and how to prepare your home for your return, including clearing walkways of clutter and rugs and arranging a walker or other assistive device you may need.

The Day of Surgery. Please follow the arrival time and check-in instructions provided by your care team. When you arrive, our staff will check you in and guide you through the next steps. Our pre-operative team will review your health history, start an IV, and get you into a gown and non-skid socks. Both your surgeon and your anesthesiologist will speak with you before you're taken back to one of our five operating rooms. Our physician anesthesiologists are trained in nerve block techniques that reduce how much narcotic pain medication you'll need in the first day or two after surgery.

After Your Procedure. You'll move to a recovery area staffed by a dedicated nurse, who watches your vitals and helps manage pain as the anesthesia wears off. A physical therapist typically begins working with you within hours of your surgery, helping you safely stand and take your first steps, often the same day. Many hip replacement patients are cleared to go home once they can move safely in and out of bed, use the bathroom independently or with minimal help, and have a caregiver arranged to help at home for the first few days.

Recovering From Hip Replacement

Your recovery plan will depend on your procedure and individual needs. Your surgeon will provide detailed instructions about activity, physical therapy if needed, and returning to work or sports. Before you leave Center for Specialty Surgery, our team will review your discharge instructions and answer questions about your immediate recovery.

 For a period of time your surgeon determines, you may be asked to follow specific hip precautions, movement restrictions like avoiding crossing your legs or bending past a certain point, designed to protect your new joint while it heals. These precautions can differ depending on whether you had an anterior or posterior approach, so follow the specific guidance your surgical team gives you rather than general advice you find elsewhere.

Ankle pumps and frequent short walks help prevent blood clots in the days after surgery, and your surgeon may prescribe a blood thinner for a period of time as an added precaution. Call your surgeon's office right away if you notice new or worsening swelling, redness, or pain in your calf, which can be a sign of a blood clot. Physical therapy, available in the same building through the team at Orthopedic + Fracture Specialists(opens in a new tab), plays a central role in regaining strength and confidence in your new hip. For a closer, day-by-day look at recovery, visit How We Get You Home.

Understanding the Risks

Like any surgery, hip replacement carries real risks, and we think you deserve a straightforward answer about what those are. Possible risks include infection, bleeding, a reaction to anesthesia, nerve or blood vessel injury, blood clots, dislocation, and, in some cases, the need for a future revision surgery. Following your hip precautions closely during early recovery is one of the most effective ways to protect against dislocation while your soft tissue heals.

We take these risks seriously. Center for Specialty Surgery tracks infection and complication rates every quarter and reports them publicly, rather than keeping that information internal. Our physician anesthesiologists also use nerve block techniques to manage pain with less reliance on narcotic medication, which carries its own risks of dependency and side effects.

If you have specific concerns about how your health history might affect your surgical risk, that conversation is best had directly with your surgeon.

What Hip Replacement Costs

Hip replacement is billed through your medical insurance, the same way it would be at a hospital, through your surgeon's office, our facility, and your anesthesia provider separately. Having three separate bills can be confusing at first: our facility fee covers the operating room, supplies, and nursing care, while your surgeon's fee and your anesthesia fee are billed on their own.

We accept most major insurance plans; visit our Insurance page for the full list. If you have questions about your specific coverage or estimated cost, our billing team can walk you through what to expect before your surgery date.

Our Safety and Quality Standards

Center for Specialty Surgery has been performing joint replacement surgery since 2003, accredited by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care (AAAHC) and certified by Medicare. Our infection and complication rates are tracked every quarter and reported publicly, and we've been recognized among Newsweek's Best Ambulatory Surgery Centers(opens in a new tab) in Oregon in 2025, 2026, and 2027.