Michael
CONSERVE® Plus Hip Resurfacing System
Michael has been an avid athlete his entire life, and he’s kept up his active lifestyle into his 50s by playing tennis, basketball and jogging seven miles a day. After playing a game of basketball with his son and nephew, Michael woke up with what he thought was a pulled groin. After resting the injury for a few days the pain subsided and Michael headed out for his daily jog, but by the sixth mile the pain was back.

When the pain didn’t go away after a few days Michael headed to his orthopedic specialist to see what was wrong. The doctor told him the pain he was experiencing was not from a pulled groin, but from arthritis in his right hip. The arthritis was eating away at cartilage in the hip joint causing his bones to rub together when he walked. Michael’s doctor said he’d eventually need to have a total hip replacement to alleviate the pain, but Michael was intimidated by the surgery. At 51, Michael thought he was too young for a total hip replacement and wouldn’t be able to return to the activities and sports he loved after surgery.

Wanting to delay surgery as long as possible, Michael decided to treat his hip pain by altering his activities and workout routine. He even tried cortisone injections to alleviate the pain, but those were only temporary fixes and the pain always returned.

Then the pain got to the point where it began affecting almost every aspect of Michael’s life. He started to favor his good hip when he walked; as result he ended up in the chiropractor’s office treating back problems. A fitness fanatic, Michael was unable to play sports of any kind or go for his daily jog. He began having trouble sleeping at night and was living on Advil to help alleviate some of the pain. Michael says pain began consuming his life.

“I was literally thinking about my pain with each step I took and every move I made; getting up out of a chair, tying my shoes, getting into a car. It was very depressing, especially for someone as active as me. I felt damaged. I just never felt normal, the pain became my normal.”

Michael knew he could not continue on like this, so he visited another orthopedic specialist for a second opinion. That doctor suggested he consult with Dr. William Macaulay at New York Presbyterian Hospital who was treating younger patients, like Michael, with an alternative to total hip replacement called hip resurfacing.

Dr. Macaulay determined that Michael was an excellent candidate for Wright’s CONSERVE® Plus Hip Resurfacing System. Dr. Macaulay explained in patients like Michael resurfacing allows the painful area of the hip joint to be surgically treated while retaining as much healthy bone as possible. Typically, during hip resurfacing, the head of the femur will be reshaped and resurfaced with a femoral component. In comparison, a total hip replacement involves total replacement of the entire head of that femur.

After doing some research Michael learned the CONSERVE® Plus Hip Resurfacing System was designed to resemble the anatomy of a natural hip which helps patients achieve a greater range of motion as compared to traditional total hip replacement. Wanting desperately to return to his active lifestyle, but wanting to avoid having his whole hip joint removed, Michael decided to have his right hip resurfaced.

Michael went in for surgery in October 2006. He was able to walk without assistance after only a couple of days and only missed one week of work. Michael could not believe that three weeks after having his hip resurfaced he was able to go back in the gym and hop on the Stairmaster.

Today Michael says he is 100 percent pain free and can not even tell the difference between his two hips. He is able to walk normally and is back to jogging seven miles a day and playing tennis. Most importantly Michael says he is not constantly thinking about pain.

“Dr. Macaulay has been amazing, he said I would be able to resume normal activity without pain and this hip resurfacing procedure has exceeded my expectations! I am pain free – I’m totally back to normal!”

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.