Orthopaedic trauma surgeon · Batumi
Hip replacement through the anterior approach
Mikheil Mikeladze, orthopaedic trauma surgeon. The first surgeon in Georgia to focus solely on hip replacement surgery.
Both incisions on one image. Tap below to highlight one of them.
The incision is short and sits in the natural groin crease. The surgeon works between the muscles and the fibres are not cut.
The classic incision is long and runs down the side of the thigh. The short muscles of the posterior group are cut here and then stitched back.
- Fellowships
- USA · 2024 and 2025
- International grant
- Ronald Burkle Fellowship
- Recognition
- Med Award 2025
- Research
- PhD candidate, New Vision
Where to start
Is hip pain troubling you?
Most patients come to a surgeon while they are not yet thinking about an operation. Three questions worth starting from.
- What hip arthritis isHow cartilage wears away, why the pain appears in the groin rather than the side, and how the first signs are recognised.
- Treatment optionsFrom weight and exercise through to injection therapy. What conservative treatment achieves and what it cannot.
- When surgery is neededWhich signs suggest the time for a replacement is coming, and why timing matters.
Position
Surgery is not always necessary
I see surgery as the most extreme form of treatment. My aim is not to perform operations. My aim is to help people, and surgery is one of the tools.
Some patients do not need surgery yet. Conservative treatment, that is weight control and correct loading, physiotherapy and exercises, medication and injection therapy, reduces pain, slows progression and sometimes postpones surgery by years.
At the same time, ignoring the pain is not worth it either. The longer you wait, the more your gait changes, the more other joints suffer and the worse you sleep. Do not wait, but do not rush into surgery either. Seeing a surgeon does not mean surgery.
If you leave the consultation with the conclusion that you do not need an operation yet, that is a successful outcome for me.
Method
The anterior approach
The anterior approach means reaching the joint from the front, through the natural space between the muscles. All three approaches, posterior, lateral and anterior, have their strengths. Here is why I choose this one.
Muscles are moved aside, not cut
The surgeon works through the natural space that exists between the muscles. The muscle fibres are neither cut nor stitched, which means less trauma and a shorter rehabilitation.
The incision sits in a natural skin crease
The bikini incision is horizontal and follows the direction of the skin crease. This improves healing, and over time the scar is less noticeable.
On your feet the same day
Most patients start moving within a few hours of surgery. Discharge usually happens within two days at most, and in standard cases without drains or dressing changes.
The doctor
Who I am
I am an orthopaedic trauma surgeon and I work at BAU International Hospital in Batumi. I specialise in total hip replacement through the anterior approach with a bikini incision.
I am a PhD candidate at New Vision University. My dissertation compares the anterior and standard approaches in total hip replacement. In other words, I research in a scientific setting exactly the method I use every day.
Training and recognition
- 2024Fellowship: Edgewood Surgical Hospital, Pennsylvania, USA
- 2025Fellowship: Dr Jonathan Yerasimides, Louisville, Kentucky, USA
- 2025Ronald Burkle Fellowship: international grant of the Anterior Hip Foundation
- 2025Med Award: nomination "Innovator orthopaedic trauma surgeon"
- 2026EAHM Travelling Fellowship: leading orthopaedic centres in Europe
- BAU International Hospital
- Anterior Hip Foundation
- Edgewood Surgical Hospital
- Landmark Surgical Suites
- European Anterior Hip Meeting
- MEDACTA
- New Vision University
- Batumi Shota Rustaveli State University
- Whole Health Orthopedic Institute
What comes next
Recovery day by day
The most common question at a consultation is "how long until I walk normally". Here is how it usually goes.
Day of surgery
Stage 1 of 7
Getting moving within a few hours of the operation. Most patients stand up with a physiotherapist and take their first steps with a walking aid.
Day 1
Stage 2 of 7
Walking in the room and the corridor, first exercises. Switching from injected painkillers to tablets.
Day 2
Stage 3 of 7
Discharge usually happens by now: once you walk independently, manage stairs and the pain is controlled with tablets.
1 week
Stage 4 of 7
Walking at home and in the yard, gradually increasing the distance. Short stretches are often better than one long walk.
2 weeks
Stage 5 of 7
A significant share of patients move without walking aids by this point. First follow-up visit.
6 weeks
Stage 6 of 7
Back to your usual routine. This is normally when driving resumes and desk work starts again.
3 months
Stage 7 of 7
Full return to loading, agreed with your surgeon. Pain is usually gone or minimal.
These timings describe the usual course and are not a promise. Every patient recovers individually, depending on age, other conditions and the starting state.
Recovery in detailVideo
Educational series
Seven videos, each answering one specific question. A full transcript sits on the page of every video. Google reads text, and nothing can read the inside of a video.
- SoonWhere it all startsWhat hip arthritis is and how cartilage wears away
- SoonWhen pain becomes an indicationPain as a reason for surgery
- SoonA straight answerHip arthritis: can it be cured
- SoonThe method in plain languageThe anterior approach: a less invasive route to a better result
- SoonConservative treatmentSurgery is not always necessary
- SoonWhat happens while you waitDo not ignore the pain
- SoonA common mix-upOsteoarthritis or arthritis: what is the difference
Patient stories
Video feedback and written stories from patients. Every item is published with written, signed consent, without exception.
The decision
Am I a candidate?
If you are not sure whether you need surgery, start with a consultation. We look at the X-ray, work out what stage the joint is at, and decide together what the next step is: conservative treatment, further investigation or surgery.
No online questionnaire can replace a consultation or make a diagnosis.
Contact
Booking and contact
Call, write on WhatsApp or fill in the form. I will get back to you within 24 hours.
- Address
BAU International Hospital
14 General Aslan Abashidze Street, BatumiOpen in Maps- Consulting hours
- Monday to Friday, 10:00 to 17:00
Send the X-ray image to this number on WhatsApp. File upload on the site is deliberately not offered: a medical image is a special category of personal data.