The Mature Athlete: Hip & Knee Replacement
December 14, 2007 – 12:41 pm
Don’t let pain, limited motion, deformity or functional impairment limit your athletic achievement. The mature athlete, no matter what sport or what level of participation, has historically been denied hip or knee replacement surgery by the orthopedic community. Some patients have been frightened that joint replacement before age 65 would automatically mean a second surgery in the not too distant future. Given recent advances in material technology and prosthetic design, there is no reason a patient afflicted with limitations from arthritis can not return to a full range of activities as evidenced by observations at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago.
Last week, my blog featured the hip resurfacing of a 36-year old, one time Chicago Bear quarterback. Six months ago at the age of 37, Albert Belle, a one-time home run slugger for the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox, similarly under went hip resurfacing at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago. The goal of these two one time professional athletes was elimination of pain and restoration of function allowing a daily trip to the health club in one case and 300 rounds of golf a year in the other.
But the story doesn’t end with these professionals. What about master amateur athletes like you and me? J.D., a 63-year-old investment banker from Dallas, Texas had spent the last 25 years helicopter skiing in British Columbia at Christmastime with family. When he called me at the Neurologic and Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago last spring, he indicated he would have to abandon skiing because of his knees. I was his last hope as he had been told that a total knee replacement would never allow him to return to any significant level of skiing. Given my passion for heliskiing and friends within the sport, J.D. was referred to me for consultation. I replaced both his knees using minimally invasive technologies last June. In late August, he traveled to South America for trout fishing where walking down a river in waders requires significant stability. In October, he sent me pictures from Alaska where he traveled for the Steelhead run, and he booked his Christmas heliskiing week per usual. JD enjoys a very active, pain free lifestyle.
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