Hip pain doesn’t have to limit your life. At Scottsdale Hip & Knee, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ben Albert offers robotic and full muscle-sparing hip replacement using the Mako® robotic system — the most advanced technology available for precision, stability, and faster recovery.
Experience state-of-the-art care designed to help you move freely again. Call our office or schedule a consultation online today.

Robotic & Muscle-Sparing Hip Replacement in Scottsdale, AZ

Advanced Technology. Precise Surgery. Faster Recovery.

At Scottsdale Hip & Knee, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon Dr. Ben Albert combines robotic precision with muscle-sparing surgical techniques to help patients return to a pain-free, active lifestyle.
Using the Stryker Mako® Total Hip system, Dr. Albert performs hip replacements with millimeter-level accuracy, preserving more bone and muscle while achieving a smoother, more natural-feeling hip.

What Is Hip Replacement?

Hip replacement (hip arthroplasty) replaces the worn or damaged surfaces of the ball-and-socket joint with smooth, durable implants.
This procedure relieves pain caused by arthritis, injury, or degeneration, restoring motion and quality of life.

With over five decades of proven success — and today’s advances in robotic and minimally invasive technology — modern hip replacement offers greater precision, shorter recovery, and longer-lasting results than ever before.

Robotic-Assisted Hip Replacement: Precision You Can Feel

Dr. Albert performs robotic-assisted total hip replacements using the Stryker Mako® system, the most advanced platform available for hip arthroplasty.

Why Choose the Mako® Robotic Total Hip System

Not all “robotic” systems are truly robotic. Many platforms marketed as robotic simply use navigation — providing visual guidance but requiring the surgeon to cut bone entirely by hand.

The Mako Total Hip system is different. It’s the only true robotic-arm–assisted platform that allows the surgeon to actively sculpt and prepare bone with robotic precision, guided by a patient-specific 3-D plan.

What Makes Mako® Unique

1. CT-Based 3-D Planning – Before surgery, Mako creates a personalized 3-D model of your hip, letting Dr. Albert plan the ideal implant size, position, and alignment with exceptional accuracy.

2. True Robotic Bone Preparation – The robotic arm precisely controls every movement, staying within a safe boundary to protect healthy bone and soft tissue.

3. Real-Time Feedback – Continuous intraoperative monitoring helps Dr. Albert fine-tune leg length, joint balance, and implant positioning for natural biomechanics.

4. Enhanced Stability & Longevity – Mako’s accuracy reduces the risk of dislocation, leg-length differences, and implant wear — improving long-term durability.

5. Reproducible Results – Each procedure is consistent and personalized, producing faster recovery, less pain, and a more natural feel.

The Mako Total Hip remains the gold standard in robotic hip replacement, combining 3-D preoperative planning, intraoperative robotic control, and data-driven feedback for unmatched precision and safety.

Muscle-Sparing Hip Replacement Techniques

Whenever possible, Dr. Albert performs a muscle-sparing approach, gently separating — not cutting — most of the muscles around the hip.
This allows patients to move sooner, recover faster, and avoid many of the traditional restrictions associated with older surgical methods.

Benefits of the Muscle-Sparing Approach

• Less postoperative pain and swelling

• Preservation of natural strength and stability

• Earlier walking and quicker rehabilitation

• No traditional “posterior hip precautions” — patients can safely bend, cross their legs, and move naturally much sooner because key muscles and tendons remain intact

• Smaller incisions and less tissue trauma

• A smoother, more natural recovery and return to daily activity

Because the approach spares key stabilizing muscles, patients typically do not need the restrictive movement limitations (like avoiding bending past 90°, crossing legs, or twisting) that were once common after older posterior techniques.

Dr. Albert’s fellowship training and experience in hip reconstruction allows him to safely perform this advanced approach in a wide range of patients, including many eligible for same-day outpatient hip replacement.

Am I a Candidate for Robotic or Muscle-Sparing Hip Replacement?

Nearly every patient is a candidate for robotic hip replacement.
The Mako® robotic system is designed to adapt to each patient’s unique anatomy, allowing Dr. Albert to perform robotic-assisted hip replacement for virtually all cases of arthritis, avascular necrosis, or post-traumatic hip damage.
Because the technology customizes the plan to your specific bone structure and soft tissues, Dr. Albert performs robotic-assisted surgery on nearly 100% of his hip replacement patients.

When it comes to muscle-sparing surgery, the vast majority of patients also qualify.
Dr. Albert uses an updated version of the direct superior approach — one of the newest muscle sparing approaches, that gently works between most of the hip muscles rather than cutting through them.
This approach provides the same minimally invasive benefits often associated with the anterior approach with more benefits such as broader patient eligibility, increased stability, and a lower risk of nerve injury causing thigh numbness that can sometimes occur with anterior approaches.  

Advantages of the Direct Superior Muscle-Sparing Approach over Other Muscle Sparing Approaches

• Preserves key hip muscles and tendons for faster recovery and less pain

• Avoids the need for traditional “posterior hip precautions” — patients can safely bend, cross their legs, and move more naturally

• Suitable for most body types and activity levels, without the table or exposure limitations of the anterior approach

• Offers excellent visualization and implant positioning, even in complex cases

• Easier to handle intraoperative challenges or rare complications, since the direct superior approach can be safely and efficiently extended to a full posterior exposure if needed — a flexibility that other approaches such as the anterior approach do not allow as easily

• Enhanced ability to assess dislocation risk during surgery compared to the anterior approach, which means a lower risk of the hip “popping out of the socket,” or dislocating, after surgery. This is because Dr. Albert can move the hip through its full range of motion and confirm its stability in real time. In contrast, the anterior approach is usually done on a specialized surgical table that holds the leg in a limited number of positions, making it harder to test how the hip moves naturally in real life during the operation.

Because of this versatility, Dr. Albert’s direct superior, muscle-sparing technique combines the safety and adaptability of the posterior approach with the faster recovery and minimal tissue disruption of modern minimally invasive surgery.

Even in cases where prior surgery, severe deformity, or very high BMI slightly alter the plan, Dr. Albert customizes each procedure using robotic guidance to achieve precise, minimally invasive, and muscle-preserving results for nearly every patient.

Before and After Surgery

Before recommending surgery, Dr. Albert always explores non-surgical options such as:

• Physical therapy and home exercise programs

• Cortisone or biologic joint injections

• Activity modification and medication management

When surgery becomes the best choice, his team provides a personalized, step-by-step plan to guide you through preparation, recovery, and physical therapy.
Most patients walk within hours after surgery, and many go home the same day.
Return to daily activities often occurs within 3–6 weeks, with many people returning to daily activities within 1-2 weeks due to the benefits of muscle sparing robotic surgery,  with full recovery continuing over several months.

Why Choose Dr. Ben Albert for Hip Replacement in Scottsdale?

• Fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee reconstruction

• Extensive experience with robotic-assisted hip replacements

• Advanced muscle-sparing techniques that preserve natural strength and eliminate traditional motion restrictions

• Outpatient and same-day options for faster, safer recovery

• Patient-centered care focused on education, precision, and long-term outcomes

Rediscover Freedom of Movement

If hip pain limits your lifestyle, experience the difference of robotic and muscle-sparing hip replacement with Dr. Ben Albert.
Call Scottsdale Hip & Knee today to learn whether the Mako Total Hip system is right for you.