Hip Preservation Reduces Need for Future Total Hip Replacement 

When Katie Morris felt the first sharp pinch in her groin and right hip, she thought perhaps she had pulled a muscle or somehow twisted her hip or back. She tried various treatments, from chiropractic care to cortisone shots, but nothing truly helped.

For the next three years, Katie put up with the pain until she could no longer tolerate even a mild walk or stand more than a few minutes at a time. In mid-2022, this 27-year-old stood up at her job at a daycare and heard a loud pop from her right hip. It was a last straw of sorts for Katie, who decided she needed to see an orthopedic specialist.

Her choice was fortuitous. She met with orthopedic surgeon Dane Todd, MD, who referred Katie to orthopedic trauma surgery at Bryan Medical Center. She’d found one of the few places in Nebraska where she would receive the advanced surgery needed to repair her hip and relieve her pain.

Katie was diagnosed with hip dysplasia — an abnormally shallow, sloping hip socket that she likely was born with. In August she became the first surgical patient for Bryan Health’s new hip preservation program.

Unmet Need

Bryan doctors conceived the concept of a collaborative center where they would address various hip problems, especially disorders in young adults.

“There is an unmet need for comprehensive care of hip deformity in younger patients,” said Dr. Todd, of Nebraska Orthopaedic Center.

Dr. Todd grew up in Lincoln and played fullback for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers. He completed his medical degree and orthopedic surgery residency at Emory University in Atlanta, followed by a sports medicine and arthroscopy fellowship at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City. He returned to Lincoln to treat sports medicine injuries.

For patients of the hip preservation center, he treats hip impingement and hip labrum tears, performing hip arthroscopy.

To treat her condition, Katie needed a type of hip preservation surgery called a periacetabular osteotomy (PAO). During the PAO, the surgeon cuts into the bone around the hip socket, repositions the socket and secures the new position with screws, which subsequently allows adequate coverage of the ball.

Common in Women 

Patients needing a PAO usually are women who were born with some degree of malformation of the hip socket. This condition often is diagnosed during routine screening; some also are detected in adolescence when a young adult experiences pain with sports or strenuous activity.

However, many patients have severe pain from routine activities such as walking or climbing stairs. In the past, there wasn't much of a formal treatment before their condition deteriorated to the point of needing a total hip replacement. 

"Don't Wait"

Katie, who’s from Hickman, feels fortunate. Three days after the PAO procedure, she went home for recovery and physical therapy.

At first, she was apprehensive, because hip problems run in her family.

“My paternal grandmother has dealt with hip problems since 1942, when she was 6. She received bone grafts at age 8, had a hip replaced in 1976 and since has had another hip replacement surgery. My cousin was born with a dislocated hip and lived in a cast the first year of her life,” she said.

The idea of surgery was daunting to Katie, but she’s glad she chose to do it. She says her pain has definitely decreased. 

She advises others to keep looking until they find the source of their pain. “Go get it checked out and don’t wait.”