Aug 28, 2008 7:28 pm US/Pacific
New Hip Replacement Option For Active People
(CBS)
Years of physical pounding at the gym are taking a toll on baby boomers. Joint replacements are skyrocketing. Medical Reporter Stephanie Stahl has details on a new, easier hip replacement.
Radio personality Donna Storm is back to her super energized workouts. She's been exercising and teaching her entire life. Finally at age 50, the cartilage in her hip was destroyed.
"Just intense pain, I actually walked with a limp," said Donna.
It's called osteoarthritis, when the cushioning in joints wears out. It's a huge problem, especially for active baby boomers.
"It's just your joints can't take anymore," said Donna.
Hip replacement was Donna's only solution. She turned to Abington Memorial Hospital, a hospital that performs the new kind of hip replacement.
"These patients have somewhat less pain. They seem to get to function more quickly," said Dr. Andrew Star, Chief of Orthopedics at Abington Memorial Hospital.
Traditionally hips are replaced with an incision from the back, which involves cutting through a lot of muscle and tendons. With this new anterior approach, the joint is replaced from the front and side with less damage to surrounding tissues.
"You're basically pushing the tissues out of the way; kind of like opening an ear of corn and pushing the silk and the skin out of the way," said Dr. Star.
"When I woke up and I could feel my body, I was so happy that I didn't have that pain," said Donna.
She says there was some discomfort right after surgery but she was back to working out in three weeks.
"Life after has been so fabulous," said Donna.
Not everyone is a good candidate for this surgery. In order for the doctor to operate through the front, you need to be in shape and not overweight.
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