Kathy Olmsted of Newnan suffered years of debilitating pain and limited mobility, such as difficulty climbing stairs from her deteriorating hip joint. After great consideration, she decided it was time to do something about the pain and consulted Georgia Bone & Joint’s Dr. Michael Gruber.
Dr. Gruber has been performing hip replacements for more than 20 years but changed his technique to the newer anterior method of hip replacement two years ago. In comparison to traditional, more invasive techniques, anterior hip replacement surgery is giving patients less pain, a faster healing time, less time spent in the hospital and a more stable joint.
The great benefit of the anterior approach to a hip replacement is that it is generally less invasive for the patient than more traditional approaches,” Dr. Gruber said. “Through this new approach, surgeons are able to replace the painful hip through a natural space between certain muscles on the front of the hip.”
According to Dr. Gruber, because muscles are not split or fully detached as they are in other approaches, patients have encountered less postoperative discomfort and are able to return to normal activities sooner.
When researching hip replacements, Olmsted decided she wanted to have an anterior hip replacement and made an appointment with Dr. Gruber. Olmsted said that when she woke up from surgery, the pain in her hip was gone.
“After surgery, I was able to walk and go up and down stairs with ease,” said Olmsted. “It’s the little things that I can now do that make such a difference.”
Olmsted said that one example of how her hip replacement helped her get back to her favorite activities is that she is able to hold positions in her restorative yoga classes that she could not hold prior to her joint replacement.
“Even after performing hip replacements with great results for the past 20 years, I am still amazed at the success of my anterior hip replacement patients, including Mrs. Olmsted,” said Dr. Gruber.
Offering excellence in orthopaedic care, the specialty-trained doctors at Georgia Bone & Joint are the leading orthopaedic providers. With six doctors specializing in the ankle, back, elbow, foot, hand, hip, knee, neck, shoulder, spine and wrist, as well as joint replacement, pediatric orthopaedics and sports medicine, Georgia Bone & Joint offers comprehensive orthopaedic care to Newnan, Peachtree City and the surrounding areas. The experts also provide sports medicine coverage for the athletes of many area high schools. To learn more, visit www.GeorgiaBoneandJoint.org.
