PATH® Technique Patient Testimonials - Rick

CONSERVE® Total Hip with BFH® Technology Recipient through the PATH® Minimally-Invasive Surgical Technique
Rick has heard it said that it’s not until you retire that your body starts to fall apart, and then it happened to him. Only 55, Rick retired in July 2006 from a long career of teaching and coaching, and where he spent years officiating high school basketball and football games, often at the state championship level. An elementary school physical education teacher for 31 years, Rick has always been extremely active and, when he retired, he did so looking forward to the time he’d be able to spend on the golf course and with his children. Rick continued to referee regularly but began to notice an aching pain in his right hip. A steroid shot relieved the problem temporarily, but by the end of 2006 the pain had worsened to the point where he was unable to make it through a full game without taking painkillers. He felt that the pain had reached “a nine out of ten,” so he decided to seek treatment. Taking the advice of a good friend with whom he had coached and refereed football games in the past, Rick began researching whether a hip replacement might be a good option for him.

Rick went to see orthopaedic surgeon Dr. Dan Daluga in January 2007, and was startled by his report. “Dr. Daluga said that if he were to judge my age by the cartilage in my hip, he’d have said I was years older than I am,” recalls Rick. “It was a situation where the problem was not going to go away—cartilage doesn’t re-grow. I’ve been active all my life—playing basketball while I was in college and then coaching and refereeing, and the wear and tear on my hip had just been too great.” When Dr. Daluga recommended a hip replacement with Wright’s CONSERVE® Total Hip with BFH® Technology using the PATH® Tissue-Sparing surgical technique, Rick decided to go for it. The Wright CONSERVE® Total hip is an implant designed to mimic the natural anatomy and motion of the hip while reducing the incidence of dislocation.

“I knew that hip replacement technology had come a long way, and with the tissue-sparing technique Dr. Daluga used called PATH®, I have only two very small scars. The bigger one is only about two inches long.” Dr. Daluga implanted the new hip on January 30, 2007, and Rick was able to walk the very next day with the help of a walker. A bit stiff and sore from the surgery, Rick used a cane for several weeks, but could tell that the severe pain he had suffered before his hip replacement had improved dramatically. In fact, he went for a trip to play golf in Florida just eight weeks after the surgery, and is regaining the full range of motion in his leg as he continues to be active.

Rick has been told that “it takes about a year to get back to being completely normal, but I think I’m coming right along.” Now, he’s planning to get back to refereeing high school games—he thinks he still has another two years of working basketball games and four of football! He’s no longer coaching, but is spending time with his children and enjoying his retirement. He recently spoke with an old friend with whom he played basketball in college and found that he also just had a hip replacement. Rick thinks that although they are both young, the years of playing hard finally caught up with them both. However, he has no regrets—his hip replacement has let him get right back to his active life.

These results are specific to this individual only. Individual results and activity levels after surgery vary and depend on many factors including age, weight and prior activity level.
There are risks and recovery times associated with surgery and there are certain individuals who should not undergo surgery.
Only a physician can tell you if this product and associated procedure are right for you and your unique circumstances. Please consult with a physician for complete information regarding benefits, risks and possible outcomes.