Patient Ambassadors

Before my hip replacement surgery, I felt so old. Crossing the parking lot and walking in public in general was embarrassing. Now, post-surgery, I have my life back and I can do things I have not done in years.

The pain was horrible before my hip surgery and I couldn’t do most of the things I enjoy, including just visiting people. Now, I’m gardening, standing while I sing and participating in all of my Red Hat Society club events.  

“I was virtually bed-ridden for months before my hip surgery and I couldn’t do any of the things I enjoy,” she explains. “Now, I am riding with my husband on his motorcycle again, walking the treadmill, biking and looking forward to the future.

“Before my hip replacement surgery, I would avoid walking and I couldn’t sit for long periods,” Karen explained. “While I was at the zoo or park with my grandchildren, I just wanted to sit down. Now, post-surgery, I am able to do most everything with them.”

“I’m a self-proclaimed workaholic,” Gregory explains, “and my hip was shot before the surgery. I’d just put too much strain on it over the years. The pain was the worst at night. Every joint — from my back to my toes — ached in tremendous pain. Now, I feel absolutely pain free – no pain whatsoever.”

"Dr Louis is an innovator in orthopedics and is one of the only surgeons in the area doing anterior hip replacement. The anterior hip replacement provides a faster recovery and better quality of life after surgery. Unfortunately, most orthopedic surgeons are not trained in it and most hospitals do not have the type of bed necessary to perform the anterior hip surgery."

“I had a total hip replacement Dec. 3, 2012, and I was on the dance floor Dec. 31^st - New Year’s Eve,” said Margaret Blighton, 66, of Batavia. “I wore flats rather than 3 inch heels, but I was a-dancing!”

Prior to her surgery, Margaret endured good-natured teasing from friends about the way she limped like an elderly person. The pain radiated in her groin and low back, and she put up with it for five or six years. An avid walker and golfer, Margaret became more and more limited until finally, she gave up on both activities. Margaret was surprised when she was told it was her hip causing the pain. She did what anyone would do with a new diagnosis – she went on the internet to learn about hip replacement options. “That’s where I found Dr. Louis,” she said. “I read that he was one of the leaders in the anterior method of hip replacement, and I wanted to see him.” Only highly-trained orthopaedic surgeons such as Steven Louis, M.D., have the skill and training to provide optimum surgical results in hip replacement using the direct anterior approach. In fact, he has performed over 1,000 successful direct anterior approach procedures in Chicago and Northwest Indiana. Dr. Louis’ medical team is thoroughly trained in this procedure and has performed more than 50 such procedures in just the last six months. “The hip implant is a ball and cup to mimic the anatomic hip,” Dr. Louis said. “With the anterior approach, which is from the front of the hip, muscles and nerves are not cut, therefore not damaged. All muscles work the same as pre-surgery.” Before the anterior approach was developed, surgeons had to cut through muscle from the patient’s side or posterior. The anterior approach, however, allows a hip replacement to be done without detaching muscle from the pelvis of femur. It provides the same exceptional results as traditional hip surgery but with less tissue damage, a faster recovery and fewer complications. Hip arthritis is the primary cause of chronic hip pain in the U.S., including Margaret’s. One in five people in the U.S. have some form of arthritis, and two thirds of arthritis sufferers are under age 65.There are three major types of arthritis which can cause hip pain: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid and post-traumatic. Margaret credits her remarkable recovery to not only Dr. Louis’ experience and skill but to her own determination to resume her active lifestyle. “I went from a walker, to one crutch to a cane to nothing in a relatively short amount of time,” she said. “Even Dr. Louis was amazed at how well I healed.” Dr. Louis has been caring for patients at Hinsdale Orthopaedics since 1997. He is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon and is fellowship trained in the area of trauma. His practice focuses on hip and knee replacements. Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Dr. Louis serves as the chairman of the operating room committee and chairman of the department of surgery. He is an instructor for the Association for the Study of Internal Fixation (ASIF), clinical instructor at Loyola Medical Center and clinical instructor for the Direct Anterior Approach Total Hip Arthroplasty. He is also a clinical faculty member of the American Hip Institute. Dr. Louis dedicates considerable time to lecturing and to hands-on training of other physicians, medical students, nurses and allied health professionals. An integral part of the Hinsdale Orthopaedics team, Dr. Louis has exceptional surgical skills that are complimented by a personable style and dedication to the highest quality of patient outcomes and satisfaction. “He has a personable style all right,” Margaret said. “I love him. He’s such a character. I played golf recently and didn’t use a cart, and I am walking and getting back into shape. I am very grateful to this wonderful doctor.”  

A retired teacher finds new lease on life....

"The anterior approach for the hip replacement allowed for such an expedient recovery and release. I was on a walker and moving about in less than a...

"My husband and I recently took a trip to Chicago just 7 weeks after my surgery and I rode a Segway for over an hour through Grant Park, Millennium Park...

"I had a total hip replacement Dec. 3, 2012, and I was on the dance floor Dec. 31st – New Year’s Eve. I wore flats rather than 3 inch heels, but I was a-dancing!"