Personal HR Stories 2006

Link  http://www.provena.org/stjoes/body.cfm?id=353&action=detail&ref=287

09/20/2006

When Catherine (Cathy) Holbrook knew the pain in her hip was making daily life more difficult, she opted for a new procedure called the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing to help with her pain.

Her nephew Nathan, who works at Hinsdale Orthopaedics, suggested that she look into the new procedure being done by Robert Daley, MD. Although she lives in Bloomington, she felt the procedure was worth the drive. Since her oldest son was born at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, she was also familiar with the hospital and the area.

"I know Dr. Daley is a really good physician, who concentrates on hips and knees," says Holbrook. "I didn't like having constant hip pain hindering my daily life. My hip was bone on bone with bone spurs, so I had limited flexibility. I wanted the opportunity for less pain and better maneuverability."

"The BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing System is a clinically proven alternative to total hip replacement for physically active patients who are under the age of 65 and suffer from hip arthritis," says Robert Daley, MD. "This includes osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, rheumatoid arthritis, and avascular necrosis. We began performing this procedure at Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in July."

According to Dr. Daley, hip resurfacing preserves more of the body's natural bone structures and stability. The benefits of the BIRMINGHAM Hip Resurfacing technique and implant are that the implant's head size, its bearing surfaces, and its bone-sparing technique make it a preferred choice for young active patients. While the implants rate of survivorship is comparable to standard total hip replacements after five years, these three key advantages set the resurfacing technique and implant apart from its total hip replacement counterparts.

"Usually people are around 70 when this happens," says Holbrook. "My hip caused enough pain at night that I had trouble sleeping. If I had to walk a long distance, I would use a cane to ease the pain. I couldn't bend to touch my foot, so I couldn't tie my shoe. At 51, I was feeling a lot older than I should be."

The hip resurfacing technique is less invasive than normal hip replacements as well. A total hip replacement requires the removal of the femoral head and the insertion of a hip stem down the shaft of the femur. Hip resurfacing on the other hand, preserves the femoral head and the femoral neck.

"During the procedure, the surgeon will only remove a few centimeters of bone around the femoral head, shaping it to fit tightly inside the BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing implant," says Dr. Daley. "The surgeon will also prepare the hip socket for the metal cup that will form the socket portion of the ball-and-socket joint. While the resurfacing component slides over the top of the femoral head like a tooth cap, the
acetabular component is pressed into place much like a total hip replacement component would be."

"I'm currently going through physical therapy to help regain all the movement and strength of my hip," says Holbrook. "I know I made the right decision in having the procedure done, and that once my recovery is completed, I will be able to participate in activities that I haven't been able to do for the last couple of years."

"This is such a great opportunity for potential hip replacement patients," says Dr. Daley. "With the constant improvements in technology, I am proud to be able to offer, along with Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center, one of the most advanced treatments for hip replacement."

Age Chart of Hip Resurfacing Patients

 

List and chart of hip resurfacing patient's ages. This chart is a representation of the hip resurfacing patients that use the Yahoo Surface Hippy Discussion Board.

 

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 Ruth Ziegler- Ballet Teacher with Bilateral Resurfacing  
 Date of Surgery: April 6,2006
 Surgeon: Harlan Amstutz, Head Joint Replacement Institute Los Angeles, CA
 Hospital: Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, CA
  
 Prior to surgery:
 I noticed a stinging tightness in both hip joints after dancing, probably since I was about 40 years old. It always went away with normal rest. I had full range of motion, strength, endurance, etc. and so I thought this was what everyone felt after taking class or performing. I really didn't have any significant pain or limitations until early in 2005, when things went "downhill" extremely quickly.
  
 My medical diagnosis was primary osteoarthritis, but in the course of the actual surgery, Dr. Amstutz determined that I had undiagnosed mild to moderate hip displasia as well.
  
 In my year of trying to believe my osteoarthritis was anything but osteoarthritis, I tried acupuncture (it helped briefly with the pain) chiropractic adjustments (didn't help at all) prolotherapy (actually made the inflammation in my hip joints a lot worse) massage (helped briefly with the muscle tension) physical therapy (helped keep me as strong and flexible as was possible) and dietary supplements (didn't help and were very expensive).
  
 As my pain increased and my physical abilities decreased, I stopped (in chronological order) doing full split penchees, doing grand plie in fourth position, doing developees on a straight supporting leg, taking class five days a week, taking class more than three days a week, taking group class at all, doing a whole yoga class, teaching children's ballet, teaching adult ballet, walking long distances, walking any distance beyond my mail box, walking without the help of a cane, doing anything but staying in my house all day, everyday and doing water aerobics in my spa and gentle range of motion work with my stability ball in my bedroom. I couldn't go Christmas shopping in December of 2005 because I couldn't walk in the stores. I had to bribe myself with tea and chocolates to get through the pain it felt to decorate my Christmas tree - it took a whole week to put a few lights and ornaments on that tree! If I needed to go to the grocery store, I would find a parking spot close to a shopping cart, so I could ue that cart as a "walker" so I could buy the groceries I needed. I had to force myself to stand at the sink to put on my makeup each morning, and eventually I had to stop and sit down after about 10 minutes to lessen the pain so I could continue again. My husband was my "knight in shining armor" through all of this - he continued to help me in every way he could.
  
 My descent was very fast - from the time my joints were finally bone on bone, it was only about one year before I reached the physical "low" I described in the previous paragraph. I was fortunate in a way, because I was able to maintain good strength and range of motion up until that last year prior to surgery. I did not have a slow decline and therefore was (relatively speaking) quite fit.
  

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A DIARY OF RESURFACING… A TRIP TO GENT, 12/15/04

By Alan Ray  LBHR with Dr. De Smet  12/15/2004
 
Opening notes: Yo, hippy kids, as promised, this is the diary of my trip to a new life in Belgium. Al from Brussels, and Dr. Tom Simpson of San Francisco, among others, have provided useful, practical reference diaries. Dr. Tom’s details quite better than I could the medical issues, considerations and procedures. I will avoid telling the stories or details of the trips of others in the 12/15/04 Belgium Band, because I have only truly my piece of the puzzle. Bear in mind, please, that every fool has a piece of the truth, and I the only piece I can claim is my own. In our ways, each of us is like the blind man trying to describe the elephant only by the part he feels. Some qualifying notes, references and details will be included as end notes.

Dec. 11, Departure. My wife Chris and I had arranged a cab shuttle to take us from the East Bay to San Francisco International Airport. He was on time, picked us up at 5:00 in the morning. As we drove across the Bay Bridge, he seemed to be fading a bit, losing the string. I don’t want to die in a crash when the cabby falls asleep at the wheel on my way to a new life. Turns out we were his last trip in a day of about 300 miles that had started the morning before. He admitted he was having a hard time staying awake. I asked him if he’d seen the movie “Collateral”. He asked what I did for a living. I said…”You don’t really want to know.” He stayed awake and we talked for the rest of the trip. The SFO to Newark flight was long, but uneventful. In Newark, we met up for the flight to Brussels with the soon-to-be resurfed Deborah Page and her heroic helper Linden O’Ryan. From there we four flew on to Brussels...

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