Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most commonly performed and successful operations in orthopedic. The efficacy of this surgical technique has been reported for over forty years in the literature providing patients with pain relief and functional improvement with minimal complication rates. Many modifications have been made to the original technique, including minimal incision approaches that are promising less tissue damage, decreased post-operative pain and a rapid rehabilitation potential with none of the dislocation precautions that are needed for the traditional total hip replacement approach. The efficacy of minimal incision THA has been questioned in the literature and studies have shown conflicting data on the rapid recovery benefits when compared to the traditional approach. The purpose of this study is to determine patient physical function and pain outcomes 6 weeks post total hip arthroplasty with an anterior approach compared to pre-operative function. This study also compared post-surgical improvements at 6 weeks post-operatively with published estimates for patients undergoing traditional THA surgery and compared the subjects modified functional movement screen scores pre and post-surgery results to established measures.
