The Future’s So Bright We Gotta Wear Shades

Future-is-Bright-1 Meet 3 minimally invasive hip replacement patients whose futures just got brighter

Do you remember a time in your life when you said, "I just can't wait?" It's called anticipation, and it's typically what we experience before a happy or life-changing event such as graduation, a new baby or even retirement. In the case of Lorenzo Medrano, Diane Miller and Rex Richards, each who were suffering with debilitating hip pain, anticipation accompanied their decisions to undergo minimally invasive hip replacement surgery. They each desired to regain their mobility, improve their quality of life and live pain free once more.

Thanks to orthopedic surgeon Michael Leland, M.D., that's exactly what transpired.

Future-is-Bright-2 Dr. Leland performs a technique in which the total hip is replaced through a single incision at the front - or anterior - of the hip. The unique surgery spares muscle tissue, can reduce post-operative pain and often shortens recovery time. With this procedure, most patients are able to begin walking immediately after surgery. The surgery is possible using the special OSI Surgical Table available at Porter Regional Hospital.

Read on to meet Lorenzo, Diane and Rex and learn why they agree: "The Future's So Bright We Gotta Wear Shades."

What an Improvement over my last hip replacement!

Hip problems aren't new to Diane Miller of Valparaiso. She had her left hip replaced seven years ago in a surgery that cut through the muscles and required many weeks of intensive recovery. But during these past seven years, Miller began to have back problems. "It got so bad I had to crawl up stairs on all fours," she shared. She made an appointment with a back specialist. "I learned it wasn't my back at all. It was my right hip and it needed replacing."

"I was apprehensive about hip replacement because I remembered my last hip replacement all too well. But Dr. Leland explained that they don't cut through the muscles any more. I had to move forward." Miller's surgery was scheduled for 7:30 am on Tuesday and by 1:00 pm the same day she was sitting in a chair. She was doing so well she took a walk on the hospital floor. "I remember staying in the hospital three days with my first hip replacement and on day one I barely moved," This time, Miller was home the next morning and tossed her cane away after three days. She began rehab within three days and was ready to begin a new job two weeks later - a job that requires climbing stairs and hours on her feet. "I'd say the recovery time for this surgery was about a third of what it was to recover from my first hip replacement," said Miller.

"Before the surgery I would make decisions about what I could do based on the number of steps it would require and how much it would hurt. I had to decide between things I had to do and things I wanted to do. Now I'm pleased to say I can do both and I look forward to every pain-free day," said Miller.

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