Dr. Roy Davidovitch: From The Hip

HEALTH & WELLNESS DR. ROY DAVIDOVITCH THIS ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON HAS PUT NYU LANGONE’S HIP CENTER ON THE MAP By Bailey Beckett

r. Roy Davidovitch would rather talk about his work, his patients, and his research projects than himself. Modest and carefully spoken, he is among the top orthopedic surgeons in New York, specializing in all things hip… literally. But as the founder of NYU Langone’s Hip Center and now as the director of the New York Hip Institute in Midtown Manhattan staying under the radar is not exactly feasible. Davidovitch treats patients from around the country, including professional athletes and dancers—young and old—and is known to innovate new methods and technologies, even a customized operating table, that helps people get back on their feet and live pain free lives. In fact, the surgeon sees and does just about everything involving the hips, from sports injuries to salvaging hips that are affected by pediatric conditions such as hip dysplasia (shallow hip sockets), as well as replacing hips that are crippled by arthritis. Using minimally invasive techniques for hip replacement, his patients are often able to leave the hospital the same day.

A graduate of University of Chicago, where he received his MD, Davidovitch did his residency at NYU’s Hospital for Joint Diseases (now the Langone Orthopedic Hospital) and further training at Harvard’s Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship before returning to NYU Langone to establish his nationally renowned hip practice. New York Lifestyles sat down with Davidovitch to learn more about the field, advances in OR, preventive measures and why the COVID shut down brought more people into his operating room.

What would you say is your niche/specialty? Is there something What advances have made this kind of surgery less invasive?

you do no one else does? Specialized instruments, surgical computer navigation technology, I am one of a few surgeons nationally who deals exclusively with as well as durable implants along with better understanding of conditions that affect the hip. I look at my practice as a continuum patient demands have pushed the innovation of less invasive of care from hip preservation to techniques such as the anterior approach. hip replacement. From a procedure perspective, my niche is anterior What are you most excited about in approach total hip replacement and over terms of technology/advancement? the last five years, outpatient anterior I am most excited about the shift from approach total hip replacements. I inpatient hospital stays to outpatient have done more outpatient total hip setting for total hip replacement. With the replacements of this kind then most advent of techniques such as the anterior surgeons in the Northeast and have approach to total hip replacement and been fortunate enough to further with an increasing understanding of innovate the procedure along the way. alternatives to opiates in pain management, patients are experiencing less pain and How prevalent is hip surgery today? greater function immediately post op. It’s growing more prevalent and This allows me to send about 80 percent projected to increase even further due of my patients’ home on the same day as to demographic shifts and the fact their hip replacements. The shift of hip that hip replacement surgery is now replacements to the outpatient center is a accessible to younger patients with paradigm shift in the field. arthritis, who in the past would hold off on surgery. Since hip implants are more How did the COVID lock down durable and can last upwards of 20 influence/effect people needing/asking years (in the past longevity of implants for this procedure? was closer to 10 years) and since I have seen this go both ways. Some minimally invasive procedures mean people became more sedentary and less downtime for patients who are still their hip pain decreased. However, they part of the workforce, younger patients have noticed that their hip has become that suffered from hip dysplasia or hip stiffer due to decreased inactivity. Once impingement which caused their hips quarantine ended and they returned to to break down are opting for total hip more activity, patients reports spikes in replacements. pain. Other patients reported that they had minimal hip pain prior to quarantine but had now found time to exercise or spend What are preventative measures people can take? more time outdoors and this has caused their hip pain to get I encourage patients to maintain core strength through Pilates worse. Interestingly, now that patients are working from home, based workouts, swimming, and cycling. I discourage high impact they are interested in having total hip replacement and other such sports such as running once they have been diagnosed with hip procedures especially if this can be on an outpatient basis where arthritis or labrum tears. COVID exposure is minimized. •