Welcome to the website for Joint Replacement Center of Scottsdale. It’s a work in progress that hopefully will provide you with some information about me, the office, and the kind of work we are doing. Since establishing the Center in September of 2006, my goal has been to provide patients with first-rate state-of-the-art hip and knee replacement surgical care in a setting that’s second to none. My office staff constantly gets rave reviews from patients for their availability, efficiency and friendliness. In an impersonal medical world of automated phones, paperwork and loss of identity we’re the exception.

I perform all my surgery at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea. I believe it is the top hospital in the Valley for in-patient care. As Medical Director of the Joint Replacement Program I have worked closely with the administration and other surgeons in establishing a dedicated program. I feel confident in telling patients that in all areas: infection prevention, anesthesia care, general satisfaction, etc. and I will compare our results to anywhere in the country.

I performed the first Anterior Hip replacement surgery at Scottsdale Healthcare Shea in June of 2008. I adopted this technique because, in my opinion, it is truly the “absolute best” way to perform a total hip replacement. The technique was originally developed in France by pelvic trauma surgeons. Dr Matta of Los Angeles has pioneered the technique in this country and helped develop a special table to facilitate the approach. The technique is the least invasive way to perform total hip replacement in that the muscles are spread rather than split. Patients have less pain and less post-operative precautions. An independent study by the Physical Therapy Department at Scottsdale Hospital showed that patients undergoing Anterior Hip Replacement left the hospital a full day earlier than patients undergoing the more conventional posterior approach. After performing over 250 of these procedures I have found that component positioning and leg length are more accurately achieved with the approach. The technique is technically demanding and requires special training as well as the use of a special table.  Only 10 percent of the total hip replacement surgeries around the country are being performed with this technique. Recently, I was extremely honored to have Dr Edward Dietrich, world renowned cardiac surgeon, say this about his experience:

Throughout my career as a heart and vascular surgeon, I have always pursued innovation. Advances in technology have made procedures less invasive, allowing patients an easier recovery and a faster return to normal activity. When I was ready for my hip to be replaced, my research led me to select the anterior hip replacement technique and Dr. Ted Firestone at the Joint Replacement Center of Scottsdale. Six hours after my surgery, I walked the full circle around the orthopedic floor and less than 2 weeks later was back in my own operating room at the Arizona Heart Hospital. When I look back at my experience with my other hip replacement ten years earlier, there is simply no comparison.

After looking at our website, I encourage you to give the office a call with any questions. We look forward to speaking with you.

Theodore P. Firestone, M.D.