70-Year-Old Enjoys Entertaining, Swimming, Walking Again After Direct Anterior Approach Hip Replacement
Before September 16, 2010, 70-year-old Teresa Claps had stopped doing the things she loved most: swimming near her Florida condominium, walking in her hometown of Elk Grove Village and entertaining family and friends. She also walked with a limp and used a cane to steady herself. This is not exactly where she thought she’d be at this point in her life.
Several years ago, Teresa had a traditional hip replacement on her right side. During a process she calls ‘a nightmare,’ she endured a one-week stay in the hospital and more time immediately afterwards in a rehabilitation/nursing facility. Unfortunately, the surgery left her right leg longer than her left, which caused her to walk with a pronounced limp and dependent on a cane.
Recently, when she started having pain in her left hip, she sought out Dr. Steven Louis, who specializes in the direct anterior approach to total hip replacement. This newer procedure causes less trauma in the joint and provides a faster recuperation for patients. He identified her as an excellent candidate for the direct anterior approach and promised to even out the length of her legs.
After Dr. Louis performed her left hip surgery, she stayed in the hospital for a couple of days for observation. Immediately following surgery, she felt no pain. Afterwards, she regained her strength and balance at a rehabilitation facility where she practiced walking without a cane. Today, she is pain-free and describes the outcome as ‘wonderful.’
“I felt so good at my first follow-up appointment that I gave Dr. Louis a big hug and told him that he gave me my life back,” Teresa explains. “Before this last surgery, I had really give up on swimming and walking.”
Teresa is looking forward to filling her schedule with parties and entertaining family and friends during the holidays. But for now, she enjoys swimming in the pool at her home in Florida and walking in the sunshine.
Free Informational Seminar:
Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is conducting a free, informational seminar on this technique. The seminar will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, January 25, in the Red and Black Oak Rooms at Good Samaritan Hospital, 3815 Highland Avenue in Downers Grove. To register, please call 1.800.323.8622 and use event code 4G78. This event is free and open to the public.
