Preserving Procedure: Kevin C. Wang, MD & Hip Arthroscopies

At Mount Sinai Medical Center, we’re always looking forward to the future of health care – and looking to expand our offerings to best assist our South Florida community. So, while an older population might instinctually be the target of hip issues generally, Kevin C. Wang, MD, one of the Orthopedic Surgeons at Mount Sinai, has brought a critical hip procedure to a younger, active population.

Hip arthroscopy – or joint preserving surgery – is targeted towards a younger demographic. While often there are no acute, consistent causes, genetics and a high level of activity during puberty can increase risk of hip pain at a young age. “There’s a common misconception that the hip is on the outside of the body,” Dr. Wang says. “However, when you have real hip pain, its more so in the groin, typically deep in the center of the hip region.” This pain can be persistent and render patients unable to live their daily lives.

To combat hip pain in the younger demographic, Dr. Wang performs a hip arthroscopy, which is a minimally invasive procedure; it consists of only two, small incisions. During the procedure, the cartilage around the hip is repaired, as well as the bone itself. In addition to a minimally invasive procedure, the recovery process is accelerated. “Because I don’t cut the capsule during surgery, which would cause an incision through the strongest ligament in the body,” Dr. Wang says, “patients are only on crutches for around two weeks. By four to six weeks, most of my patients are walking normally.” The short recovery time allows for patients to resume their regular activities and creates a lower barrier of entry when considering treatment options.

The goal for the hip arthroscopy procedure is to have patients return to their former athleticism or even improve upon their functionality. As a component of his personal care philosophy, Dr. Wang tries to avoid surgery as treatment, understanding what a commitment it is, but he believes this procedure enables young people experiencing hip pain to have an easier, less-invasive pathway towards recovery. “You don’t want to live your life in pain,” Dr. Wang says. “You want to be able to do the things you want to do.”

To learn more about Dr. Wang and Mount Sinai’s Orthopedics program, click here.