Anterior Hip Replacement Option for Larry Danko
Fitness enthusiast and owner of Danko Gym, Larry Danko, is no stranger to aches and pains. As a lifelong athlete, he’s had his share of sports related injuries. However, when his hip pain began to interfere with his everyday activities, he knew he needed to seek help.
“I was a football player, a power lifter, wrestler, golfer through my whole life and they all kind of transformed one after another so I never really gave my body the necessary break that it needed,” he says.
Danko initially believed he just had a groin pull, but imaging studies revealed that he actually had advanced osteoarthritis and his joints were bone-on-bone.
“A joint is made up of bone and cartilage and when we say someone is bone-on-bone, that means they don’t have any cartilage left,” says Coordinated Health Orthopedic Physician Christopher Samujh, M.D.
Anterior Hip Replacement
Danko began to research his options when it came to hip replacements and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had several options. The one he was most excited about was the anterior approach, which is recommended for patients with an active lifestyle.
As he searched for an orthopedic surgeon who performed the procedure locally, he came across one of his own gym member Dr. Samujh.
“The anterior approach is a good fit for someone like Larry. One of the benefits is that after the surgery there are no restrictions and the recovery is faster for at least the first few weeks,” says Dr. Samujh.
Dr. Samujh explains that during an anterior hip, he goes through the front of the hip to replace the hip joint. He refers to the surgery as a muscle sparing procedure, which means that no muscles are cut; they are simply moved to the side.
The Road to Recovery-
Dr. Samujh was impressed with Danko’s speedy recovery. “I called his cell phone to check on him at 10 a.m. the morning after surgery and he was already halfway home,” laughed Dr. Samujh.
Danko admits that his recovery was ‘comical’ because it was so fast. “I’d be walking around the gym and people would say, ‘didn’t you just have a hip replacement?’ They couldn’t believe it,” he says.
Now, just six months after his surgery, Danko says he is back to his golf game and feeling better than ever. He credits Dr. Samujh for his success. “If I see anyone having hip issues, I immediately recommend him. He never said he thought he’d be able to get me back to golfing, he said he would be able to get me back. His confidence was reassuring,” says Danko.
