Hall of Famer Johnny Bench Touts Hip Replacement to Locals
July 14, 2008 – 3:39 pm
Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench came to Pineville not to share the moments that defined his 17-year career with the Cincinnati Reds, but the moment that helped him get on with life.
Bench spoke to about 100 people at the Pineville Convention Center Tuesday night about receiving a hip replacement four years ago after his hip joint had worn down to bone-on-bone — especially because he squatted an estimated 400,000 times behind the plate during his career.
“I know pain,” said Bench, who has had numerous broken bones — and seven broken cups. “I could hardly sleep.” A doctor friend of his recommended he receive a Stryker ceramic-on-ceramic hip. Since then — after a recommendation from his doctor — Bench has gone around the country holding seminars and meetings promoting Stryker’s products and talking with people about the benefits of receiving his total hip replacement.
“I thought about making a comeback,” Bench said of how he felt after his post-operative physical therapy. “Then I pulled a muscle vacuuming, so that was the end of my comeback.”
According to statistics they presented, 43 million Americans suffer from arthritis — including 21 million from osteoarthritis alone — and 300,000 people receive hip replacements per year.
Yet, ceramic-on-ceramic replacements have drawn some fire recently as some recipients have noticed squeaking in their new hips — which has led to some lawsuits.
According to a May 11 article in the New York Times, Stryker received a warning last fall from the Food and Drug Administration regarding the squeaking and other problems associated with all ceramic hips. Stryker also recalled ceramic hip parts from their Cork, Ireland factory for sterility reasons, but the medical products company said neither the warning nor the recall had anything to do with squeaking.
Though there is some concern in the medical community research has shown no conclusive evidence between squeaking and a failure of the implants’ systems. In our experience, any hard on hard, such as metal-on-metal or ceramic-on-ceramic, replacement can squeak. Depending on the patients’ needs we at the Neurologic & Orthopedic Hospital of Chicago use a combination of ceramic-on-polyethylene, metal on metal, or metal on plastic.
Though Bench has experienced some squeaking, he said, it doesn’t bother him. “I don’t care if it plays ‘Dixie,’” Bench said.
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