Dr. Himmelwright is bringing a new approach to hip replacement for the treatment of osteoarthritis to OIP with the minimally invasive SuperPath Total Hip Replacement.
Dr. Himmelwright practices general orthopedics and has a special interest in surgery of the spine and total joint replacement. He received degrees from The Pennsylvania State University and The Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine before completing an internship and residency at Pinnacle Health System. He practiced for several years in Northeastern Pennsylvania and New York before joining OIP in 2007.
Dr. Himmelwright is board certified in orthopedic surgery. He is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, American Osteopathic Association of Orthopedics, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, National American Spine Society, Pennsylvania Orthopedic Society, Pennsylvania Medical Society and Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association. He has traveled to Haiti with a local group of medical professionals on a mission trip to care for children and adults with orthopedic needs.
What is SuperPath?
SuperPath stands for; Supercapsular Percutaneously-Assisted Total Hip. It is a different approach to the traditional hip replacement. The procedure was created by Dr. Jimmy Chow of the Hedley Orthopaedic Institute. It involves sparing the surrounding soft-tissue when performing total hip replacement surgery. The less tissue damage during surgery, combined with the state of the art anesthetic and pain management techniques allows for patients to have a much more rapid recovery than traditional methods of hip replacement. The surgical technique for the SuperPath Hip Replacement was developed as an advancement to the traditional hip replacement.
When asked, Dr. Himmelwright shares that SuperPath is as effective if not more effective as traditional hip replacement techniques due to its muscle sparing approach. Dr. Himmelwright also shares that, although the components of the SuperPath approach and the traditional hip replacement are the same, the difference is that with a superior approach and there are no muscles cut during the procedure. Currently, no one else in the area is utilizing SuperPath however, it has become fairly common on the west coast. In December, Dr. Himmelwright completed training in Arizona with the inventor of the procedure to learn the specifics of the new approach. He is currently performing a minimal invasive posterior approach. Although SuperPath offers advantages over other techniques, certain patient factors would now allow for its exclusive use.
Why Choose SuperPath?
The SuperPath approach is completely adjustable, and can easily be converted to selectively release individual muscles. This allows for the surgery to be adapted to each individual patient. Patients will have received the most appropriate reconstruction, regardless of the incision used.
The goal of a hip replacement is to have the best long term results combined with the fastest recovery to normal. SuperPath approach is the least invasive due in part to the minimal amount of tissue damage. SuperPath brings some of the best benefits such as; earlier ambulation, no loss of strength, quicker recovery, less pain, decreased dislocation risk, and easier exposure for future revision surgery.
Since there is an elimination of damage to the important structures during reconstruction, patients typically have a short hospital stay and almost all patients end up walking the same day as their surgery.