New Technology Helping Surgeons Personalize Hip Replacements

PHILADELPHIA (CBS)--New technology is helping surgeons personalize hip replacement surgery for the first time.

Climbing the stairs of his 3-story walk up used to be 15 minutes of excruciating pain for Roderick Duhaney.

"It got to the point where I was taking 30 Advil a day," said Duhaney.

The actor and photographer suffered from chronic hip pain.

Roderick was one of the first patients in the country to undergo an FDA approved hip replacement surgery called, "OPS" or optimized positioning system.

"Every patient is different every patient moves differently," said Dr. Jonathan Vigdorchik, with the NYU Langone Medical Center.

The difference is in the details before surgery. Doctors get multiple x-rays not just of the hip but also the spine.

"Now we realize the spine really controls the way the hip moves, it controls the way the hip replacement functions and the hip controls how the spine functions," said Vigdorchik.

With the images, they create a 3-D model of the hip. It shows exactly where to focus. In the past surgeons went in blind.

"I've pretty much done the surgery before I've even started," said Vigdorchik.

Roderick had two hip operations. The second used the new approach.

"If you took away the scar, if you took away my memory of the process I wouldn't know anything happened," said Duhaney.

He says the recovery was also quicker, so he was back to work faster.