Dennis Roth’s Bilateral Hip Resurfacing Dr. Mont 2007
My name is Dennis Roth. I am 66 years old and was an active mountain biker and skier; did black diamond runs and jumps! However, severe arthritis (especially the left hip) eventually prevented me from riding my bike. When I saw the pre-surgical videos made at the Gait Lab at Mt. Sinai in Baltimore, I was stunned by how poorly I walked and what an obviously painful effort walking was for me. It was hard to tell, on the video, if what I was seeing was even a “primate” walking; just shocking! Once I get a post-treatment video made, I will put both videos on-line. God what a difference with my walking now and then. I have very little if any pain except when I exercise strenuously. Still do not have the flexibility I want in my left hip due to a very stiff hip capsule, the tough tissue that covers the joint, which becomes thicker and less pliable (as do many muscles) with increasing pain and decreasing joint flexibility. However, the left capsule’s flexibility continues to improve.
I went to three of the top hip resurfacing surgeons on the East Coast with X-rays as I wanted to get a diversity of opinions; Dr. Edwin Su in New York, Dr. Tom Gross in South Carolina, and Dr. Michael Mont in Baltimore, MD. (only about a hour away from where I live). Both Drs. Su and Gross said that they could only resurface the right hip but the left hip needed a total hip replacement. Dr. Mont said he was 95% sure that he could resurface both but would only know for sure once he was looking at the joint in surgery. He resurfaced both hips; the right on August 6 and the left on August 13, 2007. The next day after surgery on the first hip, I could easily drive my car.
Approximately six weeks after surgery, I began THREE MONTHS of intense 3X/wk physical therapy (PT) at Sinai, spending 2-3 hours at each session in their gym and on the “stretching” table. It was necessary for me to take pain medication at least one hour prior to the stretching sessions. Eventually I went from Oxycodone back to Naproxim Sodium, which works just as well for me but with none of the side effects.
Sinai’s PT program is absolutely world class. Post surgery my left hip flexion went from 30% to 95% and 75% to 120% for my right hip. The “rotation” on my right hip got up to 33 degrees but the left hip only 22 degrees. The right hip also had better “abduction,” the motion used in spreading the legs apart when reclining, on your back, at a 45 degree angle. Had eight botox injections in my left inner thigh to relax my abductor and other muscles and two in the right inner thigh. Botox worked very well for me! Pre-surgery the left leg was 1.5 inches shorter than the right, now it is .75 inches shorter. With an orthepedically modified shoe, I now walk with only a very slight limp (once I’m warmed up). Assisted with a walker with four wheel or a shopping cart, I can now run about 10-12 mph. Both legs continue to get stronger and stronger but it has taken a lot of work and much longer than I would have thought pre surgery. During TV commercials, I now do three flights of stair without holding on to anything. Will do some light skiing this year and can ride my bike again. Am totally pleased with the results.
Mont is an absolutely no BS surgeon and human being. The PT at Sinai was INVALUABLE and, once again, world class and just as necessary for my recovery as the surgery. Those older patients with severe arthritis pre-surgery should understand that post-surgery intense PT for 3 months or longer is ESSENTIAL! As with life, you onlt get-out-of-it what you put-into-it. My Medicare part A and B with a Supplemental Plan J (the latter highly recommended) virtually paid for all costs; pre-surgery, surgery and hospitalization and post surgery. Good luck to all and thanks once again to Surface Hippy for its invaluable information!