Choosing a Hip Resurfacing Doctor

[Rob6297]

Good point brightside! I didn't think of that option, but if HSS and Dr. Su allow interest free payments for a bit of time I would put a lot more thought into using him. Think of it like buying a house except its your body. Great post!

[bilateralbliss]

Hi, definately check more, my surgeon did 8 every Tuesday! I agree with everone elses posts on this. Good Luck

[chocolatedrop29]

hey everyone,

does anyone of you can recommend me a good surgeon in australia? preferably sydney or melbourne but if i have to fly to other state to see the surgeon i would.

im 28 yrs old with left hip oa grade II-III and my sports physician here in sydney australia said my last resort if the cortisone doesnt work then i need to get total hip replacement.

from physio therapist point of view, they seem to be against any surgery, let alone a major ones like this. my physio said, "we dont wana go there yet" so will see how you go with cortisone.

im in the military but i've been doing research lately on top surgeon in the world in regards to hip resurfacing. if i get to choose to travel overseas to get it done if I'm a "good candidate" then i would but the fact that i dont want to break the contract at work.

any thoughts everyone? please be honest and straight forward on suggestion. i dont want to go to the stage where the hip go bone on bone which is stage IV i think.

if anyone here could let me know it would be much appreciated.

jc

[Dannywayoflife]

JC,
     grade 3 is mid spectrum but how has that been diagnosed? Xray? I had grade 4 which was bone on bone in areas larger than 1'' so i did have some cartlage left but not much. If more conservative options are available id say take those. No matter how good a device it will never be as good as a natural hip.

I dont know any Aussie HR docs but if you were to go international then you could come here to the UK and see Mr Treacy or Mr McMinn the 2 developers of the BHR Treacy has the biggest single experience in the world and is reguarded as really on of the best. As is McMinn. You could also use Dr Bose in india hes one of the best too.

Pm me if you need any help or info mate
Danny

[Spanielsal]

Hi JC, I'm just going to jump in to say that the X-rays are just a tool, nothing can compare to the surgeon actually seeing inside your joint. My hips (on both sides) were much worse inside than X-rays and MRI suggested. You need a surgeon who treats you, the patient, and your pain and your disability. don't just accept the diagnostic grade. If you are in severe pain and disabled then be your own advocate and seek treatment. There are no medals for putting up with pain. I wish you luck. I think I've read quite a few stories on here where the OA was hidden, not visible but present. It is serious surgery, but you only get one life and only you know where the tipping point in that equation is. Keep us posted. Sal

[mike1966]

Hi JC,

I'm in Launceston, Tasmania. I hope the more conservative approaches can offer you a solution. If it does come to resurfacing, Pat (site owner) recommended two surgeons in Australia to me prior to my surgery. Lawrence Kohan in Sydney and Andrew Shimmin in Melbourne. Both have completed over 1000 resurfacings. I ended up going with a local surgeon who has performed far fewer but has an excellent reputation for being a meticulous surgeon. I knew I was taking a risk but he inspired confidence in me and almost 5 months post op, I'm really pleased with my results. Hopefully that will be the case long term. Obviously all of the advice on this forum would steer you toward a high volume surgeon with an excellent record and reputation.

Good luck, keen to know how you get on,

Mike

[chocolatedrop29]

Mike i knew i'd find a tasmanian brother here! i originally came from tassie but i live in sydney now. yes i have heard of lawrence kohan and andrew shim min. i've been doing lots of research around sydney and inter state. did you ended up seeing those 2 surgeons in person? i checked dr kohan's website and i actually need a referral from the doctors. but according to the specialist area at work they dont use dr kohan's as one of the provider. but i'll double check with the doctor when i see him.

hows the new hip goin mike? how old were you when you had it done? can i PM you?
let me know!

thanks,
jc

[mike1966]

Hi JC,

What part of Tassie are you from? I'm 45, a fair bit older that you. but the OA was still a shock. I thought I had some soft tissue injury that wouldn't heal. I didnt consult Kohan or Shimmin. Peter Van Winden did my surgery in Launceston. I had done all the research, just like you  and knew that I was acting against some very good advice but his reputation is excellent and and I took a chance on surgery at home. I'm 5 months post op on the 2nd of September and im progressing really well. I swim heaps, walk lots and have had a lot of massage for scar tissue. As people on here will tell you recovery has its ups and downs, My IT band gave trouble when I got off crutches and caused me knee pain. Massage and swimming fixed that. The hip itself feels great, getting flexibility back is the slowest thing but im making steady progress.

I have been really cautious in my recovery, I can jog without pain but I am not stupid enough to do it and risk fracture, Walking, swimming and cycling are my staple. Its too early for me to tell you what capacity I will get back.

The thing I do know is that my sporting life was over, I couldn't even hit the tennis ball with my daughter in the end. If things get too bad for you, its great to know that resurfacing is there as an option. I hated my diagnosis but I stopped thinking of myself as unlucky to have OA and started thinking about how lucky I was tio have such a good option available.

What kind of shape is your hip in as far as day to day functionality? Feel free to PM

Cheers

Mike

[chocolatedrop29]

SAL,

thanks so much for the advise. i hope you did get my long and boring complaint on my topic? im not in severe pain as yet but i do know and feel that its slowly limiting my activity on a normal day to day activities. i just dont know how long i can put up with it. all my plans travelling wise this year has been on hold coz im afraid if i go on a tour that i might not be able to enjoy it because of this condition.

[Spanielsal]

Hey JC, no one says you have to be crawling in pain, I had problems getting them to recognise that I needed the surgery ( refer back to my X-rays comment!) there have been guys with bad OA but not much pain who have had it done, there are some good threads you can read about whether or not it's too soon for surgery. It really is the question for you. When is it the right time in your life. Do be honest with your pals, the only way they can help is if they know. Arthritis is less embarrassing than mad cleaning urges ;D   Sal

[chocolatedrop29]

dan, sal and mike! thanks for the reply. theres so many things i have to know about this hip resurfacing but a big big thank you for everyone. i will PM each of youse!

hope all is well with everyone and living happy active lifestyle!

cheers

jc

[Tin Soldier]

I think you have some good names there with the several that have been mentioned.  I'm not sure if Kiwi posted but he went to Hugh Blackly in NZ.  That might be a bit more travel than you were thinking, but it sounds like Blackly has been doing HR since 2003 and studied with McMinn/Treacy and is well recognized.  Good luck

Sal - good point about the medals, I actually used be that way, before I knew I had full-blown OA.  I would hobble around in pain, grunting and groaning, thinking I was just getting old and damn it I should be able to fight it,...  after I knew the demise was going to be a slow and arduous death by OA, and that I didn't want to ruin what was left (something to think about when deciding on surgery), I finally gave in.  I did get a few proverbial medals for chasing down fancy-footed forwards while playing soccer, with a labral tear in both hips  ;)     

[Spanielsal]

Ouch Tin, sounds very sore! I take it that you have fully functioning play hips now, are you back to soccer?

[Steven]

Hi JC,

Keep in mind the Hip Arthroscopy option too. As was mentioned earlier, diagnostic xrays etc are good, but  looking inside the joint via key hole surgery is gold standard.

It's amazing what they can do these days & there are some excellent surgeons performing this in Australia by searching on Internet.

I've had 3 arthroscopies over the years  (1 x look & see, 1 x cartilage trim, 1 x bony growth removal.. FAI / clean up) & my next step could well be HR, but the scopes have kept me relatively pain free.


Regards

Steven.

[chocolatedrop29]

steve,

the sports physician said i wont benefit from another arthroscopy because of OA grade II-III. the only surgery option he gave me was THR. i had arthroscopy left hip labral debridement and i didnt get good result from the surgeon.. it took me 10-11 months to rehab. so no way im going back to that surgeon again. looking back now, i remember i didnt have to wait for months to book to that surgeon. it only took me 2 weeks to wait!  lessons learned!

anyone on here know any "top 3 surgeons in regards to hip resurfacing in sydney australia" or had their hip resurfaced in sydney?? .. im seeing the military doctor first week next month. if i could get a name that would be great. from what ive seen on this website, it has dr lawrence kohan, dr craig waller. on vicky marlow's website, its dr michael solomon and dr william walter. i will also ask my doctor to refer me to get an xray and get a copy of a cd and get an opinion from the top surgeon by emailing them. im hoping my hip hasnt change dramatically since october 2011.

many many thanks for all the people for telling me their experience and giving me so much info!

i will get back from everyone privately!

thanks,

jc

[bilateralbliss]

Hi Jc, as Sal says a good surgeon takes far more into consideration. Just make sure the one you eventually choose has vast experience as Danny mentioned. Don`t wait til you could be crawling in agony either. You`re bound to find all the info on here:)

[smdmf]

does anyone know of a kaiser doctor with alot of bhr's under his belt? my friend needs a lbhr and he lives in los angeles. unfortunately he's stuck with kaiser. thank you

[Pat Walter]

Dr. Klug is an excellent hip resurfacing surgeons and has a lot of very happy patients.

Raphael Klug, MD
400 Hip Resurfacings to date
The Permanente Medical Group
1600 Eureka Road
Roseville, CA 95661
(916) 784-5051
Website for Dr. Klug   http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/provider/raphaelklug

[Johnster]

Greetings All,

I'm new to this forum and I'm hoping it can help me make a decision. 

I'm a 50 year old active male who was diagnosed with OA in my left hip about 4 years ago by Dr Emil Schemitch at St. Mikes in Toronto.  At the time he did do BHR but I couldn't find out anything about his record in this area, although my doctor said he was the best.  I decided to wait on the surgery until it was bad enough that I had no choice, and I think it's getting to that point now (climbing ladders to put up the Christmas lights and walking the dogs in the uneven snowy ground were far more painful for me this year than last).  I have had to give up racquetball and Martial arts because of my hip, and now, with the birth of my daughter, I've decided I want to be able to move and play and do all the things I used to do.    This brings me to me current dilemma; which doctor?  I live within driving distance of Dr. Young in Scarborough, Dr. Schemitsch in Toronto and Dr. MacCalden in London.  My doctor is happy to provide me with a referral to whichever one I want to use, but so far the only one who seems to be on anyone's radar is Dr. young.  Her office informs me there is almost a 2 year waiting list to get the surgery done, and I would have to believe the others have similar wait times.  Can anyone provide me with some first-hand experiences with any of these 3? 

Any and all advice/information is greatly appreciated.

Cheers
John

[Miguelito]

No advice on docs as I am an American, I just wanted to weigh in on the two year waiting list. That's atrocious! I don't want to politicize this website, but I fear that is our future here in the U.S as well.

Good luck and I hope it doesn't wind up being that long. I guess I would add that you should find out what's up with the other hip (via x-ray), and get it in the queue if you can (I have no idea how that process works so forgive my ignorance). Anecdotally, a lot of people (perhaps especially males with FAI, though that is just speculation on my part) experience rapid deterioration of the second hip after having the first fixed. My unfixed hip felt great for 6 or 8 months after first hip fixed and now I have the second surgery scheduled for just shy of the two year mark due to rapid deterioration in function and increasing pain.

Regards,

Mike