Hip Care

Erik Severson, MD

Dr. Severson serves as Total Joint Program Medical Director and oversees the Rapid Recovery Program, a leading-edge joint replacement protocol with proven outcome enhancements for patients. With fellowship training at the Mayo Clinic in orthopaedic surgery, his practice focuses on primary hip and knee replacements, as well as the more complex procedures of revision of hip and knee replacements.

Hip Conditions We Treat

If hip pain is impacting your ability to do the activities you enjoy, schedule an appointment with our orthopaedic team of experts to develop a care plan that meets your needs. Our team is here to support you and get you back to healthy and active again.
With age and use, the cartilage can wear down or become damaged . Muscles and tendons in the hip can get overused. Bones in the hip can break during a fall or other injury. Any of these conditions can lead to hip pain and simple tasks like walking or sitting down can impact your quality of life.

Our orthopaedic experts prioritize non-surgical methods such as injections, medication, and physical therapy to alleviate hip pain. If surgery becomes necessary, we opt for minimally invasive techniques to minimize recovery time, and reduce scarring.
Hip arthritis is deterioration of the cartilage of the hip joint. It’s a common condition that can be painful and worsen over time, affecting your mobility and quality of life. The most common cause is age-related wear and tear in the hip joint.  When cartilage is damaged, it becomes rough. Thinning of the cartilage narrows the space between the bones. In advanced cases, bone rubs on bone causing pain and stiffness with movement and can also lead to bone spur formation.
Bursitis is a painful condition that affects the small, fluid-filled sacs called bursae that cushion the bones, tendons and muscles near your joints. Bursitis occurs when bursae become inflamed. If you have bursitis in your hip, you may have sharp and intense pain in the early stages at the point of the hip and extending to the outside of the thigh area. Later, the pain may become more of an ache and spread across a larger area of the hip. Typically, the pain is worse at night, when lying on the affected hip, and when getting up from a chair. It may get worse with prolonged walking, stair climbing, or squatting.
A hip fracture is a break in the upper portion of the femur (thighbone). Hip fractures can be very painful.
A hip impingement is a condition when extra bone grows along one or both of the bones that form the hip joint – giving bones an irregular shape. Because they do not fit together perfectly, the bones rub against each other during movement. Over time this friction can damage the joint leading to pain and limiting activity. With hip impingement, you may feel pain in the groin area, experience stiffness or a limp. Turning, twisting, or walking may cause a sharp stabbing pain. Sometimes the pain is just a dull ache.
Avascular Necrosis is the death of bone tissue due to a lack of blood supply. A broken bone or dislocated joint can stop the blood flow to a section of bone. It can also be caused by long-term use of high-dose oral steroid medications, severe arthritis, and drinking too much alcohol.

Surgical Solutions

Our fellowship-trained orthopaedic surgeon and team provide a team based approach combining cutting-edge techniques with compassionate and personalized care to ensure the best possible outcomes for our patients. Whether you’re struggling with chronic pain, injury, or degenerative conditions, we’re here to guide you toward a future of strength, flexibility, and vitality for an enhanced quality of life.

Rapid Recovery, an innovative medical protocol developed by Dr. Erik Severson and introduced in 2013, leads to faster recovery, less pain, and excellent patient outcomes getting you back to living a healthy and active life again.

Riverwood Healthcare Center’s Dr. Erik Severson is one of the first orthopaedic surgeons in the nation to be performing hip replacement surgery with the VELYS Hip Navigation System. VELYS™ Hip Navigation System with advanced technology ensures Dr. Severson has the information and tools to perform accurate and precise hip replacement because every hip is different as is every patient requiring hip replacement.
The anterior approach is our standard approach for hip replacement. Total hip replacements are primarily performed to alleviate severe arthritis, fractures, and certain bone abnormalities. Candidates for this surgery typically experience pain that hinders daily activities, cannot be managed with medications or supportive devices like canes or walkers, or have significant hip stiffness.

Hip replacement surgery is a major procedure, with an average recovery time of six to 12 weeks. The surgery involves replacing the femoral head and acetabulum (hip socket) with five components: the cup is press-fitted into the pelvis after arthritis removal, a polyethylene liner is placed for smooth movement, and a stem is inserted into the femur to hold the femoral head, followed by attaching a neck to accept the new femoral head.
Dr. Erik Severson uses the VELYS Hip Navigation System which allows for greater surgical precision. This computer-guided tool gives him precise measurements for positioning the hip implant. Using this method, Dr. Severson can determine the precise leg length to give patients the best possible stability. This also allows for shorter operations with less time under anesthesia.
Are you feeling pain from a previous Total Hip Replacement? A Revision Total Hip Replacement occurs when you have a second operation to remove some or all of the parts of the original total hip replacement and replace with new.

Non-Surgical Solutions

Our team of orthopaedic specialists collaborate closely with patients to identify optimal treatment paths tailored to their condition, individual requirements, and lifestyle. We prioritize conservative, non-invasive approaches for managing and alleviating pain. Pain may be relieved through injections, lifestyle modifications, physical therapy, or plasma injections.
Our orthopaedic team includes experienced physical and occupational therapists who coach and guide patients’ before and after surgery. Therapists help our surgery patients get up and walking on the day of surgery and set a schedule for ongoing therapy. The day after surgery patients will receive therapy in the morning and afternoon. Our physical therapists can help with reducing pain, increasing strength, balance and walking, and transfers as well as learning to use mobility equipment such as crutches, canes or walkers.

Occupational therapy helps those whose lives have been disrupted by injury, disease, the aging process, or developmental problems. The fundamental goal of therapy is to use purposeful activities or interventions that will help restore independent and meaningful lives.
Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines are used to relieve pain and reduce inflammation.
Steroid injections, also called corticosteroid injections, are anti-inflammatory medicines used to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Steroid injections can be administered into joints, such as the knee to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain associated with conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, or bursitis. The injections usually take a few days to start working, although some work in a few hours. It’s important to note that steroid injections are typically used as a short-term treatment to provide temporary relief from pain and inflammation. If you are having an injection to relieve pain, it may also contain local anesthetic. This provides immediate pain relief that lasts a few hours. You should be able to go home soon after the injection.
Steroid injections, also called corticosteroid injections, are anti-inflammatory medicines used to reduce inflammation and relieve pain. Steroid injections can be administered into joints, such as the knee to reduce inflammation and alleviate pain associated with conditions like arthritis, tendonitis, or bursitis. The injections can take up to three weeks to work to their full effect. It’s important to note that steroid injections are typically used as a short-term treatment to provide temporary relief from pain and inflammation. If you are having an injection to relieve pain, it will also contain local anesthetic. This provides immediate pain relief that lasts a few hours. You should be able to go home soon after the injection.
Viscosupplementation is a medical procedure used to treat osteoarthritis, particularly in the knee joint. It involves injecting a thick fluid called hyaluronic acid into the joint space to help lubricate and cushion the joint, thereby reducing pain and improving mobility. If you have tried all other non-surgical treatment methods and your pain continues to limit your activities, viscosupplementation may be an option.

The goal of viscosupplementation is to supplement the natural hyaluronic acid in the joint fluid, thereby improving lubrication, reducing friction, and relieving pain. It may also help reduce inflammation and protect the joint cartilage from further damage.

Viscosupplementation is most commonly used in individuals with mild to moderate osteoarthritis who have not responded adequately to other treatments such as oral pain medications, physical therapy, or corticosteroid injections. It is generally considered safe, although some individuals may experience temporary pain or swelling at the injection site.

OUR DEDICATED TEAM OF PROVIDERS

Erin Mason, Physician Assistant and Jeff Temple, Nurse Practitioner see patients in our Specialty Clinic in Aitkin for diagnosis, treatment, surgical consult, and post-operative care.

Matt Fleming and Tom Lewandowski are practicing Physician Assistants working closely with Dr. Severson in both clinic and operating room.
Erin Mason, PA-C
Jeff Temple, APRN, CFNP
Matt Fleming, PA-C
Tom Lewandowski, PA-C, MPAS

Schedule a visit​

To schedule a visit call (218) 927-5181. During the scheduling of the visit you will be asked to review health history to gather important information and to determine next steps.

Clinic consult

A clinic consult with the orthopaedic team for evaluation of symptoms, ordering of appropriate labs, and to discuss therapies and/or injections. (conservative non-surgical approach) Initial imaging will take place prior to clinic consult.

Treatment Plan

Your treatment plan will include a team based approach to care discussing the best option for you, the patient. Both surgical and non-surgical options will be discussed along with follow-up imaging and non-surgical diagnostics \ interventions.

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