Thursday, February 16th, 2012
This is a female patient over the age of 60 who presented to our office for a second opinion with complaints of severe disabling pain in her lower back. She had been treated at another facility and it was recommended that she undergo surgery on her lower back. In our evaluation we identified disc degeneration and arthritis of her lower back but much more significant degeneration of the right hip (Image 1).
On the basis of our diagnosis we recommended a total hip replacement (Image 2) which almost immediately resolved the pain she was experiencing. At 3 weeks from the procedure she is walking independently and is very satisfied with the results of the procedure (video) She is also extremely grateful that we correctly identified and treated her problem effectively.
Hip arthritis symptoms can manifest as buttocks pain or even knee pain. Also the loss of motion from hip osteoarthritis can transmit substantial stress to the lower back and significantly aggravate a lower back condition. The correct diagnosis of hip osteoarthritis and effective treatment can prevent unnecessary and ineffective surgery on secondary or non- symptom generating conditions. (watch video)
Saturday, November 5th, 2011
This is an 81yo female and proud mother of an MD surgeon who came to us in her mid 70s with increasing right hip pain. As an aside , we take pride in being routinely referred family members of physicians for surgical care. She had been very physically active her entire life, was in very good health which she attributed to her frequent exercise and healthy lifestyle and wanted to continue being active.
Unfortunately the pain in her right hip was making it impossible to do. A radiographic evaluation (image 1)showed advanced osteoarthritis of the right hip. She elected to proceed with a total hip replacement. She recently presented for a follow up and at years has no complaints of hip pain. X-rays (image 2) shows the implants are stable and without any signs of deterioration, loosening or problems. She is currently as active as she has ever been and displays her motion in the hip ( image 3,4) which significantly exceeds the reference values for normal. Despite her exceptional motion display in the hip she has never had any occurrences of instability.
I believe this case represents the substantial benefit and safety of hip replacement in the 7th and even 8th decade of life in properly chosen cases. I also believe this case demonstrates the physical recovery and restitution of strength and motion that is possible in certain cases with appropriately executed surgery using carefully chosen implants and proper pre and postsurgical conditioning efforts. (Please watch video: Patient recently presented for a follow up)
Thursday, June 30th, 2011
42 year old female that underwent a hip arthroscopy for treatment of osteochondromatosis. In image 1 are all of the loose bodies that were removed from the hip joint. There were over 10 loose bodies removed from the hip joint. Image 2,3 and 4 are arthroscopic views inside the joint from which the loose bodies were removed. Hip arthroscopy is an effective procedure for addressing a variety of hip conditions.
