In the News
Hip Replacement: An Orthopedic Surgeon Answers 10 Common Questions
By Travis Small, DO
If you've been told you may need a hip replacement, you probably have questions. How is the surgery performed? What type of implant will you receive? How quickly can you walk? And when can you return to the activities you enjoy?
These are some of the most common questions I hear from patients considering hip replacement.
1. How will my surgery be performed?
I perform hip replacements using an anterior approach with a transverse "bikini" incision. This muscle-sparing technique allows me to work between muscles rather than cutting through them.
For good candidates, the anterior approach may offer advantages, including a potentially quicker recovery and a lower risk of dislocation compared with some other approaches. My aim is to minimize disruption to surrounding tissues while providing a stable, well-positioned hip replacement.
2. What type of implant will I receive?
My typical hip replacement consists of a titanium cup (the socket), a highly cross-linked polyethylene liner, a ceramic ball (the femoral head) and a titanium stem that fits into the thigh bone.
There are several reputable implant manufacturers, and I use implants from multiple companies. There isn't one universal "gold standard." The right implant depends on your anatomy, bone quality and individual needs.
For some patients, I may also consider a dual-mobility liner, which can provide additional stability.
Corin Announces First Clinical Use of IconaTM Femoral Stem
We are excited to share that Tulsa Bone & Joint surgeon Travis Small, DO, was one of the first clinical users of the IconaTM femoral stem, a triple-taper, fully coated cementless implant. The surgery was performed at Saint Francis Hospital.
IconaTM is designed to ease implantation in muscle-sparing approaches, such as the Direct Anterior Approach (DAA). Key features include a reduced proximal lateral shoulder, a swept distal tip, and a 15-degree angled insertion feature, all engineered to simplify insertion and minimize soft tissue disruption. The system incorporates offset hybrid broaches with combined extraction and compaction tooth geometries, enabling efficient, reproducible canal preparation.
"The IconaTM femoral stem delivers on all fronts: it was developed using the largest CT dataset ever applied to stem design, utilizing advanced statistical shape modelling to optimize fit for a wide range of patient anatomies. This thoughtful engineering makes it, in my view, the best triple-taper stem on the market, offering unmatched versatility, stability, and biomechanical restoration for an anatomical range of patients," said Dr. Small.
Congratulations on being a leader of this new technology, Dr. Small!
40 Under 40 2023
A long educational journey led Travis J. Small, D.O., to his current position as an orthopedic surgeon. After getting his bachelor’s in zoology at OU, Small went to Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine to receive his D.O., followed by an M.S. in medical education. Now, he specializes in knee and hip replacements at Saint Francis Health System. “I love science and working with my hands,” he says. “While playing sports, I was exposed to orthopedic surgery at a young age.” What he most loves about his job is that he “gets to improve people’s quality of life almost immediately,” and says his greatest achievement in his job thus far is “fixing a patient’s knee that had eight previous procedures and had been turned down by multiple surgeons.” He says that if he weren’t a physician, he’d be using his talents as a teacher or a basketball coach. Small, who believes the secret to success is good, old-fashioned hard work, can be found outside the operating room spending time with his family, exercising, listening to music and spending time outdoors. “I grew up on a farm in western Oklahoma and love horses, outdoors and hunting,” he says. He also volunteers with the Knights of Columbus and Holland Hall.
