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Hip Specialist

Joseph  P. Tobin, MD, FAAOS -  - Orthopedic Surgeon

Tobin Bone and Joint Surgery

Joseph P. Tobin, MD, FAAOS

Orthopedic Surgeon located in Hilton Head, SC & Pooler, GA

Hips are such large, pivotal joints that injuries and chronic pain can be highly disabling. If you’re experiencing hip pain and dysfunction, board-certified orthopedic surgeon Joseph Tobin, MD, of Tobin Bone and Joint Surgery, offers conservative and surgical solutions to resolve your condition. At offices in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Pooler, Georgia, Dr. Tobin successfully diagnoses and treats patients with hip injuries and chronic pain. To benefit from his exceptional care, call your nearest office or book an appointment online today.

Hip Q&A

What problems might I have with my hips?

There are two kinds of problems you could experience with your hips:

Acute injuries

Acute hip damage often results from falls, sports injuries, or auto accidents. The trauma could fracture the hip bones or dislocate the joint, causing the ball-shaped top of your femur (thigh bone) to come out of its socket in your pelvis. The tendons and ligaments in your hip could stretch or rupture, and the cartilage that secures and protects the bones could tear.

Chronic pain

Chronic hip pain could be due to a condition like bursitis, where inflammation develops in the protective sacs of fluid (bursae) that cushion your joints. Very often, chronic, worsening hip pain is due to arthritis. Osteoarthritis, the most widespread form of the disease, is caused by cartilage erosion that leads to inflammation, stiffness, and constant pain in the joint.

To diagnose your hip condition, Dr. Tobin performs a thorough physical exam and symptom review. Tobin Bone and Joint Surgery also offers on-site X-rays or can refer you for an MRI.

How are hip conditions treated?

If you have an acute injury like a hip fracture or dislocation, you’re likely to need urgent interventions to get the bones back into position. For less severe traumas and chronic diseases, Dr. Tobin offers a selection of effective treatments that include:

  • Physical therapy
  • Anti-inflammatory medications
  • Mobility devices
  • Shoe adjustments
  • Custom orthotics
  • Thermal therapy
  • Stretching and strengthening exercises

For many patients, a combination of suitable non-surgical treatments is an effective way of combating hip pain. If you’re not experiencing much improvement, Dr. Tobin offers steroid injections into the joint that have powerful, long-lasting anti-inflammatory effects.

Does a hip condition require surgery?

Dr. Tobin’s fellowship education in hip surgery and over 20 years experience treating extremely complex hip problems has established his reputation as a premier hip surgeon in the Low Country. Some patients ask about which hip surgery “approach” Dr. Tobin uses in hip replacement surgery. Dr. Tobin has utilized all of the various surgical approaches to the hip addressing many different and varied hip pathologies. Dr. Tobin has successfully treated all types of hip pathology in his over 20 years of experience performing hip replacement surgery. His preferred surgical approach for a primary total hip replacement is the anterolateral approach which has the least complications of any surgical approach. The anterolateral approach is a muscle sparing approach and can be associated with less pain and shorter recovery.

You might need surgery for a severe hip fracture. Dr. Tobin realigns the broken pieces of bone and may fix them into place with screws, plates, and rods. A fracture that’s caused too much damage might require joint replacement surgery instead. More often than not, though, it’s advanced osteoarthritis that leads to hip replacement surgery.

Hip replacement involves removing damaged or diseased sections of the hip joint, preparing the healthy bone and cartilage left behind, and fixing new components into place. Hip replacement surgery has been an effective solution to severe hip pain and disability for many decades.

Smaller incisions and less invasive surgery are used by Dr. Tobin when appropriate. The result is reduced discomfort and a faster recovery.

To discover what’s causing your hip pain and find a solution, call Tobin Bone and Joint Surgery or book an appointment online today.