By John D. Begin
Osteoarthritis can be a life-limiting condition, with stiff and swollen joints causing pain during movement or even at rest.
It can keep people from participating in activities they enjoy.
Cheryl Perkins and Leroy Roberts know this all too well.
Perkins, 53, of Dexter, had no protective cartilage in her right hip, resulting in extremely painful bone-on-bone contact made worse by bone spurs and osteoarthritis. She couldn’t walk for long periods of time without paying the price during pain-filled sleepless nights.
Roberts, 68, of Sidney, had a stabbing pain in his groin that he thought was caused by bursitis until an office exam and diagnostic imaging determined that he also did not have any cartilage protecting his hip socket. His debilitating pain ended the six-mile walks he enjoyed.
“Since my surgery, I don’t have any pain. I get excited saying that six weeks after my surgery, I was walking around Quincy Market in Boston, on uneven cobblestones, with no trouble – and wearing sandals!” Perkins said.
Roberts, who happily returned to push-mowing his lawn just five weeks after his surgery, said the procedure and its quicker recovery changed his life.
“I had surgery on June 6, started my physical therapy on June 9 and a week and a half later, I was discharged from therapy. At that point, I was walking a half-mile near my house and, a week later, I was doing one to two miles with a cane,” he said.
The technique is a tissue-sparing approach, where no muscles or tendonsare cut. Unlike more traditional total hip replacement surgery, it does not require surgical dislocation of the hip. Because of this, there is little trauma to the surrounding muscles and tendons.
Benefits of this minimally invasive approach for patients include:
* A smaller incision and a technique that spares critical muscles and tendons surrounding the hip;
* A faster hospital recovery; * A quicker return to work and activities of daily living with no typical restrictions.
Wexler began offering this technique 14 months ago and has performed it on 80 patients to date. Because of the less-invasive nature of the procedure, he noted that the initial recovery time for patients is faster than it is for those who have traditional hip replacement surgery.
“In the first six weeks, patients who have undergone the approach seem to do much better, much quicker,” he said, adding that while these patients have ranged in age from 44 to 84, “most are in the 50s and 60s.”
Wexler said he recommends his orthopaedic patients try a variety of non-surgical options to alleviate or manage their pain before opting for surgery.
“I always suggest that patients try non-operative measures first – physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, use of a cane, things like that – and try to avoid surgery as long as possible,” he said.
If surgery is the only option that will bring hip pain relief for a patient like her, however, Perkins knows who she would recommend — and highly!
Perkins is not only one of Wexler’s minimally invasive hip replacement surgery patients but also a repeat customer. Wexler replaced her left hip five years ago, using the traditional approach, following injuries she sustained in a car accident.
“I love him,” she said. “He did my first surgery, and I hunted him down for this one. If I was going to see somebody for my hip, it was going to be him – and his office staff are wonderful and made me feel so comfortable.”
Total hip replacement surgery is offered by referral only. If you think you could benefit from this procedure to address your chronic hip pain, please speak with your health care provider to determine if a referral to MaineGeneral Orthopaedics is appropriate.
To learn about all MaineGeneral services, call 1-855-4MGH-INFO or visit www.mainegeneral.org.
John D. Begin is a communications specialist in MaineGeneral Health’s Marketing & Communications Department.
