Both of mine went in from the side. I had a spinal tap and then they top you off so when you wake up you're not too groggy. The idiot doing my second surgery spinal tap tried 6 times, then they got somebody else that needed 3 more tries.....oh well. They have you up walking the same day or the next day. They send you home on day 3 if no complications. Pain was minimal, certainly much less then before. I strongly recommend following the rehab exercises. My right hip came out much better then the left one.....it's not terrible, just not as good as the right one. The right one feels as good as new and the scar is almost invisible after 2 years.
Good luck......I'm free to chat about it anytime if you need to.