Rafael Bahamonde

Dr. Bahamonde's research explores the effectiveness of different techniques of hip replacement surgeries and provides a scientific evaluation of the claims that one type of surgery is better than other in terms of recovery and function. Specifically, Dr. Bahamonde sought to determine whether total hip arthroplasty (THA) performed with minimally invasive surgical (MIS) approaches result in less muscle damage and faster recovery. Comparative gait analysis was performed on patients who underwent THA using 1 of 3 different MIS approaches. All three surgical approach groups demonstrated overall improvements in measured gait parameters at the 6-week postoperative analysis. The results of this gait analysis fail to demonstrate any significant advantage of the 2-incision approach over the posterior approach in gait parameters and early functional recovery. Furthermore, the anterolateral approach demonstrates a gait pattern consistent with abductor muscle injury in the early recovery period, despite the use of a minimally invasive approach.