Comparison of Patient Function during the First Six Weeks after Direct Anterior or Posterior Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA): A Randomized Study

The purpose of this single-surgeon randomized study was to determine if functional recovery during the early postoperative period differs between the direct anterior (DAA) and posterior approaches (PA). An a priori power analysis indicated that 26 patients per group were needed, and 6-week follow-up data were available for 51 THAs to date. Hospitals stays were significantly shorter for the DAA group (1.4 vs. 2.0 days, P = 0.01), and the change in Pain Scores was significantly greater for the DAA group (P = 0.04). The DAA group also discontinued use of an assistive ambulatory device at an earlier time (33.0 vs. 43.1 days, P = 0.03). Despite these differences, no other subjective or objective functional measures differed between the 2 groups at the 6-week follow-up.