Minimally Invasive Surgery

Over the many years of practice and with the experience of well over 4,000 total joints, Dr. Clyburn has worked to minimize tissue trauma which is inherent to all surgeries. This resulted in smaller incisions and reduced cutting of muscle. In 1999, Dr. Clyburn began consulting for Biomet on the design of instruments which would allow for even smaller incisions. These instruments were developed in conjunction with other surgeons for the hip and knee.

Initially, we attempted to perform the surgery through extremely small incisions less than 4 inches in length. Multiple published reports and our own experience has been that these extremely small incisions are more prone to slow wound healing and other complications due to the trauma to the skin edges. We therefore have chosen to make the skin incision only as large as absolutely necessary and without compromising the health of the skin.

Total Hip "MIS" Instruments