New York Times covers minimally invasive hip replacement surgery offered at OSS

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

I was excited to see Jane Brody’s New York Times article this month on anterior approach hip replacement surgery - especially since it is one of my own surgical specialties. Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle is one of only two centers in the Pacific Northwest offering this technique, performing the minimally invasive hip replacement surgery for the last 4 years. We’re able to offer this innovative approach to nearly all of our patients who have arthritis of the hip severe enough to warrant surgery. Patients benefit from the reduced risk of complications and dramatically increased rate of recovery following the procedure. To learn more, visit: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/09/health/09brod.html

New and improved www.seattlehipsurgery.com

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

I am proud to announce the launch of the new and improved www.seattlehipsurgery.com! This new site will continue to inform patients about hip issues and treatments. I hope you find it easy to use, and that it offers useful information about my practice.

Stay tuned as we continue to add more content to our Patient Information section. My goal is for www.seattlehipsurgery.com to be the one-stop informational website for all of my patients dealing with a hip issue or facing a procedure or surgery.

-Dr. Downer

Phillip Downer, MD, performs hip replacement surgery using anterior approach procedure

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

New procedure offers patients quicker steps to recovery
and makes small incision surgery an option for more patients

July 15, 2008 – The demand for hip replacement is growing rapidly. In fact, the number of primary total hip replacements is estimated to increase by 174 percent – to 572,000 – in 2030. As demand grows, technology often gets smarter – which has proved to be true in the case of hip replacements. Recent medical advancements have allowed many patients with hip arthritis to benefit from a significantly faster recovery from total hip replacements.

Dr. Phillip Downer, MD of Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle is one of only a few physicians in the Pacific Northwest who performs hip replacement surgery using the Anterior Approach. The anterior approach hip replacement utilizes a smaller incision, where the hip is approached and replaced through a natural interval between the muscles instead of detaching multiple muscles from the femur during surgery.

"This surgery allows me to leave important gluteal muscles intact, so patients can expect to be on their feet much faster,“ said Dr. Downer.

A specially designed surgical table allows the surgeon to approach the hip joint from the front as opposed to the side or back. In this way, important muscles are left relatively undisturbed, which may result in a quicker recovery process. The anterior approach is also thought to reduce the risk of dislocation later on. Additionally, patients may bend their hip and bear full weight sooner after this surgery than other types of hip replacement surgery.

"It was wonderful. It was absolutely wonderful. I was walking stairs with a therapist within three to four days,“ said a patient of Dr. Downer.

About Phillip Downer, MD

Dr. Downer is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a special interest in hip and knee preservation surgery. Dr. Downer sees patients of all ages, but his special interest in joint preservation has led him to treat many younger patients with hip problems, such as hip dysplasia or hip impingement. One of only a few surgeons in the Pacific Northwest who performs hip arthroscopies for these issues, Dr. Downer has quickly become one of Seattle‘s leading hip specialists. In addition to joint preservation, Dr. Downer treats patients with more advanced complications. He performs over 250 hip replacements per year, primarily through the tissue sparing surgery approach. Dr. Downer is part of Orthopedic Specialists of Seattle, a full-service orthopedic practice located in the Ballard and Wallingford neighborhoods of Seattle.