Taking Flight Again

Total Joint Replacement Offers Answer to Arthritis Pain

“I was losing mobility,” he says. “First, cutting my toenails became a challenge. Eventually, I got to the point where

I had to plan my day around how often I would have to change socks. Sleeping was becoming painful. I had to give up jogging. And I was limping when I walked. Every time I took a step, it was like an ice pick stabbing in my hip.”

Beitz had a degenerating hip joint caused by osteoarthritis.

Like millions of Americans, as cartilage around hip and knee joints wears away, it leaves bone rubbing against bone — a painful, debilitating condition.

Computer professional Warren Light had similar hip problems that forced him to start walking with a cane — something he wasn’t ready to accept at age 61, especially when he could remember backpacking just a few years earlier.

For Kenneth Hengst, a project manager with an electrical contracting firm, it was his knee. “The pain was becoming the driving force in my life,” he says. “I’m only 50, and I have a 12-year-old daughter. I have to have wheels, man!”

Fortunately for all three men, the procedures available at several Memorial Hermann Hospitals helped. Total joint replacement can eliminate the pain of degenerating hip and knee joints, and help people return to an active lifestyle.

With the standard surgery, patients may need three to four months to fully recover. But today, many people can have minimally invasive surgery performed through tiny incisions, and recover much faster. Both types of surgery are available as part of total joint programs at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital and Memorial Hermann Hospital.

An End-to-End Program
“The Total Joint Center is a comprehensive process that takes patients from the time they enter the doctor’s office to the time they leave the hospital,” says Rick Nixon, MD, orthopedic surgeon associated with Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital. “From clinical staff to the rehab techniques, everything is designed to get them back to a normal lifestyle as quickly as possible.”

After a patient and doctor decide to do joint replacement, patients begin with a “pre-hab” class the week before surgery. There, they begin doing exercises that strengthen the muscles around the joint, which helps speed recovery. Patients also get an in-depth orientation on the program.

“They introduce you to the people who are going to take care of you and show you what you’ll go through,” says Hengst, who had minimally invasive knee replacement surgery in October 2004. “That was very comforting, and it really helped get me mentally prepared for the procedure.”

“It made everything look more routine,” says Light, who had a standard hip replacement the same month. “I knew the same people were going to help me through all the steps, instead of having to walk in somewhere where they didn’t know who I was.”

On the day of surgery, most patients have only a mild spinal anesthetic, called an epidural. That helps them recover sooner, and many can start physical therapy the same day.

“When I woke up, my knee was already in a mobility machine,” says Hengst. “My surgery was done at 8 a.m., and by that afternoon, I was able to get out of bed and walk. By 4 p.m., I had already met most of the requirements to be discharged.”

Physical therapists and coaches encourage patients to push themselves and use their new joints immediately. And from the moment they leave recovery, patients do everything as a group.

“It’s a team environment where everyone goes through the same process together,” says Dr. Nixon. “Patients encourage each other and help push each other forward. It’s very positive.”

Rapid Recovery
Most people recover from surgery quickly. With the standard procedure, patients stay at the hospital for two to four days, followed by two weeks of physical therapy. Over the next month, they progress from using a walker to a cane to nothing at all. With the minimally invasive surgery, recovery is even faster.

“Many patients are off their cane within eight to 10 days,” says Bart Kendrick, MD, orthopedic surgeon with the Total Joint Center at Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital, and the first surgeon in Houston to perform a minimally invasive hip replacement. “In many cases, patients are back at work within two to three weeks.”

Warren Light was up and walking the day after his hip replacement. Kenneth Hengst was walking unaided a few days after leaving the hospital. Burton Beitz, the first patient in the Houston area to have a minimally invasive hip replacement, was back flying planes in a few weeks. Today, all three are extremely satisfied with their new joints and with the program itself.

“The folks at the hospital and the doctor’s office were absolutely fantastic,” says Beitz. “I couldn’t have asked for a better team. They always made me feel like I was getting the best they had to offer.”

Hengst agrees. “I can’t overemphasize the extremely high level of care I received and the genuine caring of the people who served me in that hospital.”

Should You Consider Total Joint Replacement?
Total joint replacement is not for everyone. People who can manage their arthritis in other ways should continue doing that. But people who have severe arthritis pain that impedes daily activities may want to consider the procedure.

For more information on Memorial Hermann total joint programs or a referral to an orthopedic surgeon near you, call 713-222-CARE.