Congratulations to Dr. Steven S. Louis named 2017 & 2018 Top Doctor in Illinois in the recent edition of West Suburban Living Magazine.

This honor recognizes and reinforces Dr. Louis’ ongoing commitment to providing excellent Orthopedic and Trauma care to his patients.

The Top Doctors were chosen in a survey of their peers by Castle Connolly Medical – a healthcare research and information company founded in 1991 to help guide consumers to America’s top doctors and top hospitals. Their established survey and research process includes physicians, academic medical centers, and specialty hospitals across the nation.

Rowing Club Comes to Hinsdale
Dr. Louis and the Hinsdale Rowing Club Making Headlines
We are making headlines! Check out our latest news article regarding our merge with Chicago Rowing Foundation (CRF). The Hinsdale Rowing Club has partnered with the Chicago Rowing Foundation, the premier community rowing program in Chicago, to provide competitive high school programs, also more boats & dock space, and to raise awareness regarding educational scholarships available to local students ! Please spread to the news to any high school kids who are at all interested in this great sport. http://www.hcdevilsadvocate.com/features/2017/01/31/rowing-club-comes-to-hinsdale/

The idea for a rowing club in Hinsdale was first thought of by Dr. Steven Louis, a father to children that rowed at east coast prep schools. He and his wife, Amy have rowed for years on the Des Plaines River and they thought it would be conducive for a high school team.
Here Dr. Louis is rowing at a club outing and encouraging local young people and their families to come out and enjoy the river activities and great surrounding wildlife.
To Learn More Visit Our Facebook Page.…
Lear More Visiting Our New Website..…

2015
September, 2015
The team at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Illinois interviews Trauma and Orthopaedic Surgeon, Dr. Steven Louis, to educate future patients and their families regarding his commitment to excellent patient outcomes, identifying the individual patient’s goals in returning back to their active lifestyles and the dedication and support he provides at his orthopedic practice, Hinsdale Orthopaedics, based in Hinsdale, Illinois.
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Louis, please call 1-630-323-6116.

My wife and I at the start of the American Birkebeiner. This was my 18th year participating in the race. Over 10,000 racers gear up in all events during the weekend and about 3,750 ski racers for the 51K skate event I participated in. This year I finished in 4:53 minutes. Not my best but I was happy with it. It was a nice warm day, 10 degrees at the start and warmed up to 15. The day before and after would have been a start of 10 below 0…… that would have been cold!

2014
To enthusiastic off-road bicyclists from across the country, the annual trek to the Chequamegon
(She-wa-me-gon) Fat Tire Festival presented by Trek means fat tire racing and fat tire fun. Each year in mid-September, thousands of fat tired fliers descend on the towns of Cable and Hayward in northwestern Wisconsin to take on the off road bicycle tests of endurance and agility offered throughout the weekend.

From the 27 cyclists who lined up to ride the unknown trails of the Chequamegon at the first Festival in 1983 to the sold-out, limited field that is currently chosen by random lottery, the Festival is one of the nation’s greatest grassroots events.
During this year’s event, Dr. Louis rode 40 miles of beautiful, yet challenging point-to-point rolling glacial terrain, one of the area’s steep forest courses. Combined with the congenial welcome of the Hayward and Cable communities who provide a tireless volunteer army, the support of Presenting Sponsor – Trek and a cast of other generous sponsors, the Chequamegon Fat Tire Festival has earned its iconic rank in the sport today.
Dr. Louis is an avid cyclist who enjoys many endurance and
agility bicycle racing events throughout the year.

Katelyn O’Connell, MS, PA-C enjoyed her work with Dr. Louis for over 9 years, working along side him in the hospital, operating room and clinic, and caring for the many patients who have been treated at their Hinsdale office location. However at the end of July, Kate “retired” from her position.

Many of you have asked how Kate is doing……

She says, “Great!” Earlier this year, Kate decided to change her role as a mother to son, Ryan by becoming a stay-at-home mom. She also fulfilled aspirations of becoming an Entrepreneur in September of 2013, when Kate started her new business Kortica while still working as a PA. Her time away from the practice has allowed her to focus more on her company, which offers high-end handbags, jewelry and accessories made from genuine organic Cork material.

When not spending quality time with her son, Kate travels the country and abroad introducing new products to consumers, store buyers and other organizations to grow her exciting new business venture.

Learn more about Kate’s new business enterprise at: www.Kortica.com

To view a calendar of Kate’s next community event or fashion show, please click here: http://www.Kortica.com/events/.

If you’d like to show her your support, you can also
“like/follow” Kortica on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/Korticabags

Send Kate a Tweet at: https://twitter.com/Kortica

Or reach her on Linked In at: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kate-oconnell/69/47b/592.

You also may still see Kate as part of the Hinsdale Orthopedics team working per diem in
their Hinsdale location – Immediate Care Clinic.

Dr. Thomas Malvitz, orthopaedic surgeon from Grand Rapids, MI, specializing in total joint replacements, is one of many surgeons from around the country participating in surgeon-based clinical training in the operating room with Surgeon-presenter, Dr. Steven Louis, learning the new Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery.

Dr. Steven S. Louis, orthopaedic trauma surgeon at Hinsdale Orthopaedics, has been selected as one of this year’s 2013 Chicago Super Doctors by the prestigous medical research firm of Key Professionals Media, Inc.

To learn more about this distinction, please click here: Dr.LouisSuperDoctors2013

Dr. Michael Demers, an orthopaedic surgeon from Detroit, MI, specializing in disorders of the hip and knee, is one of many surgeons from around the country participating in clinical training programs in the operating room with Dr. Steven Louis to learn the new Anterior Approach surgical technique for hip replacement surgery.

Dr. Louis is one of a select group of surgeons globally providing clinical mentoring to seasoned and next generation orthopedic surgeons seeking one-on-one clinical training in the operating room. Dr. Louis specializes in the techniques and advantages of the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery.

Dr. Louis was selected for this important role due to his many clinical years in practice treating Trauma and Orthopaedic patients, as well as performing over 1,000 Direct Anterior Hip Replacement Procedures to-date. Dr. Louis continues to be committed to providing his expertise to new patients at his practice in Hinsdale, Illinois (Hinsdale Orthopaedics) and to surgeons seeking comprehensive hip replacement knowledge and options for their local patient populations.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Louis, please call his office at 630.323.6116.

Dr. Stephen Baker, a local orthopaedic surgeon specializing in disorders of the hip and knee, is one of many surgeons from around the country participating in clinical training programs in the operating room with Dr. Steven Louis to learn the new Anterior Approach surgical technique for hip replacement surgery.

What knee-replacement patients can learn from Billie Jean King

During the 1970s, tennis star Billie Jean King was a shining star both on and off the tennis court. King won 39 Grand slam titles, including 20 at Wimbledon, and was a leading activist for social change and gender equality. One battle that King struggled to win for years was against her debilitating knee pain.

Today, double-knee implants have changed King’s life and she is back playing tennis again at age 67.

Double-knee replacement surgery was King’s eighth knee operation since her first at age 23 when she was No. 1 in the world. Despite her previous knee surgeries, King’s severe pain persisted.

“I got to the point I couldn’t even walk two blocks…My life was closing in on me,” King said in an interview with Washington Post. “Now I’m pain-free, if I want to play tennis or take a walk in the park. I’m going through this mindset change now. It’s amazing. My first knee-jerk reaction is ‘Oh, I can’t — oh, yes I can do that.’ I can go up and down stairs. I wouldn’t be able to do that a year ago.”

Before returning to tennis, King underwent a year of rehabilitation, working out for 2.5 hours, five days a week.

“Billie Jean King has made an exceptional recovery, but the intensity of her training and return to tennis is not something I recommend to patients with artificial knees,” warns Dr. Steven Louis, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon at Hinsdale Orthopaedics. “New knees will eventually be able to endure most activities but activities that place significant stress on the knees should forever be avoided.”

Dr. Louis, who is among the first in Chicago to offer custom-designed total knee replacements, says commitment, patience and determination are essential to returning to any activity after knee surgery.

“It is important for patients to stay realistic about their expectations with knee replacements,” Dr. Louis says. “New knees won’t make you a super-athlete or enable you to do more than you could before you developed knee pain. Just because they are new, doesn’t make the knees invincible.”

After the surgery, patients will undergo physical therapy to regain strength and movement in the knee in order to walk. Patients will experience both more and less painful days in the months following surgery, but should experience a gradual improvement in functionality and decrease in pain, says Dr. Louis.

In accordance with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Louis recommends the following activities for knee-replacement patients wishing to resume exercising after physical therapy has concluded:
• Walking
• Swimming (typically allowed 6-8 weeks after surgery)
• Dancing
• Golfing (with spikeless shoes and a cart)
• Bicycling (on level surfaces)

Activities to avoid- any that put stress on the knees- include:
• Tennis
• Badminton
• Contact sports like football and baseball
• Racquetball
• Jumping
• Squats
• Down-hill skiing

More than 90 percent of patients who undergo total knee replacement experience a dramatic decrease in knee pain and a significant improvement in performing daily activities, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

“Billie Jean demonstrates to us that life is too short to let pain keep you from being active,” says Dr. Louis. “Being proactive and not procrastinating to do something about your knee pain will contribute greatly to a faster recovery.”

If you’re experiencing knee pain and would like to speak with an experienced, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, please contact Dr. Louis by calling Sabina at 630-323-6116, ext. 7123.

Dr. Steven Louis promotes a national campaign to educate the general public regarding the importance of taking care of your joints and seeking qualified evaluation by an orthopaedic specialists when bone and joint pain become an issue. Bone and joint pain can hold you back from doing the things you love because your body can say “no” at any age. This pain might keep you from working, playing, or just plain moving. In fact, one in four Americans suffers from an impairment that impacts their ability to move. But, orthopaedic patients across this nation are now taking a stand…they are fighting for their mobility.

Orthopaedic surgeons dedicate their lives to helping people get moving again and reclaiming the freedom to do what they love at every stage of life.

A Nation in Motion Video Message Brought To You By The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons. Please click this link to watch this exciting message.

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons presents “Body Double,” 15-, 30- and 60-second television spots, that uses a persons’ shadow to educate your listeners that bone and joint pain should not deter them from participating in life.

Whether it’s going outside for a run, lifting a tray or carrying your bride over the threshold, don’t sit on the sidelines in pain. Fight for your mobility and regain your life today.

Find your own inspiration at www.ANationInMotion.org.

“I had a total hip replacement Dec. 3, 2012, and I was on the dance floor Dec. 31st – 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.”

Willowbrook Man Back to Work After Direct Anterior Approach Hip Surgery

WILLOWBROOK, IL — May 8, 2012

Immediately after orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Louis performed Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery on Gregory Kozak, 57, of Willowbrook, he was able to walk comfortably. Within a month, he was back to work in a 100,000 square foot machine shop, where he’s on his feet most of the day enjoying his work as a maintenance technician.

“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.”

Gregory rebounded so quickly because the Direct Anterior Approach allowed Dr. Louis to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip (as opposed to the side or posterior, which is typical in traditional hip replacement surgery). This technique allows a hip replacement to be completed without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery.

Dr. Louis performs his surgeries at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, and now trains other Hinsdale Orthopaedic surgeons in this specialized technique. To date, he has performed over 1,000 successful Direct Anterior Approach procedures on Chicago and Northwest Indiana area patients.

“Gregory was a perfect candidate for this new procedure because he was in terrible pain and wanted to get back to the work that he loves as soon as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle damage involved in the surgery.”

Gregory dealt with his pain for a long time and had a doctor tell him not to get anything replaced until he absolutely had to. “But here’s my question, — how do you know when you have to? If I had known sooner that the surgery was going to be this easy, I would have done this several years ago. When I sat down with Dr. Louis we discussed all aspects of my surgery and I felt totally comfortable with all his recommendations.” Before Gregory left his office during the consultation, he had a surgery date scheduled.

Since the procedure, Gregory has recommended Dr. Louis and the Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery to several other potential patients. “I’ve got people at work telling me I walk too fast now,” he chuckled. “Everyone has been in awe about my speedy recovery, myself included. The whole experience was wonderful, painless and quick. Dr. Louis and his entire team at Hinsdale Orthoapedics were great … even the food at the hospital was great. You think I’m kidding, but I’m not. I’m just so glad to have my life back.”

Gregory continues to feel great and enjoys the same, active lifestyle he enjoyed before his hip pain began.

May 31, 2013

To Future Fellow Hip Replacement Patients – If I Can Do It – You Can!

It has been seven months since my hip replacement! This time last year I was just beginning to make appointments with orthopedic surgeons because my hip pain was becoming debilitating. No more long walks – actually short walks either! I DREDED it and kept thinking that maybe with more leafy green salads, salmon, beta carotene-whatever-it would get better…but nooo!

I had read about a medical company several months earlier that created hip/knee joints for a new operating procedure – never knowing I would be checking them out for my own surgery within a year! So GLAD I discovered this company because it led me to know about “direct anterior” hip replacements! The search for a surgeon began….

It took a while to find Dr. Louis! Several appointments with well-known surgeons (one even wrote a book on hip replacements and advertised he did “direct anterior” but did not) led me nowhere. Those who supposedly used the “newest” procedure called “minimally invasive” still had the long, painful, slow recovery. No bending/crossing the legs at the knee for several weeks, lots of physical therapy, drugs, etc.

When I mentioned to surgeons that I wanted the “direct anterior” approach, they didn’t seem to think it was “that much better” and that it could cause “different sets of problems”…etc. I think the real issue is that they didn’t want to learn the new procedure. Didn’t have the special operating room table and had a full roster of future patients – so why deal with it?

Finally I found Dr. Louis! He answered all my questions! The “direct anterior approach” calls for NO PT – IMMEDIATE ability to bend, cross your legs – no restrictions on movement. AND Dr. Louis has done hundreds of them! I schedule my surgery after picking the color of the new hip joint I wanted – pink! I merrily left his office, got in the car and…..

BEGAN TO PANIC!

Everything I saw reminded me of my impeding surgery. I couldn’t watch “Direct TV” – without being reminded of “direct anterior”. It was hard to buy chicken legs without envisioning the joint being sawed apart! I tossed. I turned.

Several of my friends – who had the “old surgery” were trying to prepare me for the “after” surgery experience. They were stunned that there was no six week “hip university” for me to attend. They insisted that I was being “naive” – that I would be on drugs (and groggy) for several weeks – would need crutches – months of physical therapy – couldn’t be alone for the first few weeks, etc. etc. That what Dr. Louis promised was a nice fairy tale but impossible!

Because I live with an old dog who needs to be carried up and down the stairs – have friends who are all busy and a boyfriend who lives 30 miles away – I kept re-reading all the letters from previous patients that Dr. Louis had included in his pre-surgery notebook. I needed to learn what to expect afterewards – on my own.

I read – and re-read every word of every person’s story! “Gone with the Wind” paled in comparison! They were all saying how quickly they healed and how thrilled they were with the results! I felt like Natalie Wood in Miracle on 34th Street when she asks Santa for a new house then says “I believe…. I believe I know it’s silly but I believe!”

So I prepared for surgery in October – put all the flower pots away – bought enough paper goods for an army. Frozen foods packed into my freezer – I was ready for anything! I was hoping for the best and preparing for the worst! My friends were talking in hushed whispers and appalled at my lack of planning. They were convinced that I should have gone to a rehab clinic or hired a full time nurse for the first week or two!

Maybe they are right – I thought! But it’s too late…surgery is tomorrow! I took a low dos of xanax at midnight. After, ofcourse, a pedicure in the afternoon.

SURGERY DAY

I arrived at Good Samaritan Hospital. Everyone was kind, gracious and professional. Dr. Louis visited me in pre-op. “How could he be in such a good mood” I wondered? I remember being wheeled into the hospital room and seeing the “ski boots” at the end of the table….fad to black.

ONE HOUR LATER!

Dr. Louis approached the waiting area to talk to “BF” – who was engrossed in his iPhone 5 expecting to have several hours of personal time awaiting information about my new hip. When BF saw him – he immediately stopped reading about Nebraska football – and thought I died on the operating table! What else could explain Dr. Louis’ quick exit from surgery!

Not to worry – surgery was over and a total success! Back to the sports page!

THE REAL SCOOP

So what’s it like? Here’s the scoop – at least my scoop!

I did have some pain in post-op (I think) – before getting pain pump but don’t remember using it that much. Truly amazing drug – no grogginess either! Bravo! The nursing care was great! Had both a private and double room – either is fine.

Standing up to take the first step was the most difficult part of the whole thing (which is five minutes). But after that – pretty much home free I was glad to have the raised toilet seat – “my landing pad” – which was the only item I actually added in my house. Borrowed one from my friend who had had the surgery the “old way” – she was surprised when I returned it after two weeks! Frankly I could have kept it forever – comfy!

The food was good – I suggest the fish for dinner and the scrambled egg with green pepper in the morning! I also brought snacks for middle of the night hunger – bananas, apples, dried cherries, almonds and some Trader Joe’s low-cal chocolate bars – always delish!

Day two – I was getting ready to go home – after the Nebraska game of course – and was taken to the Physical Therapy room on the same floor. I was a bit scared thinking it might be painful – but NO! I had to walk up three steps and down three steps – I remember saying – is that it? It was.

Then the nurse came with my first dose of Lovenox – which I truly dreaded! I had checked on YouTube for info on how to give yourself a shot in the stomach. Do yourself a favor and stay OFF YouTube! There was a video of a young lady who ranted about how painful Lovenox is – then proceeded to show her swollen and red belly that looked like it had been beaten with sticks by wild monkeys! Not an issue. Easy to do and it looks like a bed-bug bite…just go with it!

Before you know it its time to go home! BF drove and when I walked into the house and saw a leaf on the floor I bent over and picked it up! The house and dog were fine but I felt that I needed to vacuum – so I did about an hour later! I put my cane in the closet and never got it out again!

I did have two girlfriends who came by on Monday and one stayed all night. But I was down in the kitchen with her cooking etc. already energized from having to wash my duvet because my dog threw up her special treats the second night. One of the girlfriends had recently had the “old surgery” – with a well-known surgeon – she thought she was witnessing a miracle!

Friends brought fresh food from the grocery store and I cooked dinner for BF when he visited for the first three nights because I felt guilty that he had to drive in bad traffic! I ended up helping my dog outside (in a tri-level) – several times a day and night! Brought in my flowers (sent by well-meaning friends) and took the boxes out to the garage.

I stopped taking Tramadol after three days – because I thought it made me shaky and went to Extra Strength Tylenol the rest of the next 7 – 14 days or so. I slept with three pillows under my knee to raise my leg for a while too. It took any stress off my hip!

Dr. Louis has exercises, etc. in the notebook you receive. I did them every few hours. Probably OVER-did them. You don’t need to do that! After having one visit by the physical therapy person and another by a “home nurse” I canceled any other visits. Really pointless – you can do the exercises yourself and the nurse just takes your blood pressure, etc. Why not save the insurance company some money!

Every day got a little better – I had a stack of books, movies and dozed a lot! If you have someone to drive you around you won’t feel so housebound – get out if you can!

So there you go – we’re all different and will have our own stories. But keep the faith – you will feels so much better. I went to a party two weeks after surgery and back to the gym three weeks after surgery. No one could tell I was walking any differently!

So kudos and MANY thanks to everyone at Hinsdale Orthopaedics and “Good Sam” hospital. You are the BEST!

And for anyone reading this now very long letter – curled up in the fetal position awaiting their impending surgery – just do it!

Love to all,

Kathy S

International visitors learn technique from Dr Steven S. Louis.
Dr. K S Park and Dr. S J Yoon travelled from South Korea to Hinsdale, IL to learn from Dr. Steven Louis, recognized internationally for his expertise and surgical technique performing the Direct Anterior Approach to Hip Arthroplasty.

By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Jane Brody, the Times’s Personal Health columnist, recently reported on less invasive techniques for hip replacement that reduce complications and speed recovery. Dr. Patrick A. Meere, an orthopedic surgeon at New York University who specializes in hip and knee arthritis surgery, joined the Consults blog to answer reader questions. Here, Dr. Meere responds to several readers who asked about hip replacement versus hip resurfacing. In addition, see Dr. Meere’s many responses in the Comments section of “Improving on the Hip Replacement”; additional responses will be posted in the coming days, so check back for updates.

Middle Aged, Active and in Need of a New Hip

Q.
I am 58 years old and have been told I need a right hip replacement due to arthritis. In the future, I may also need to replace the left hip for the same reason.

Prior to my hip problems, I led an active lifestyle: downhill skiing, swimming, biking, hiking, jazz dancing, horseback riding and yoga. I would like to know whether a hip resurfacing would be a better choice for me rather than an anterior hip replacement?

What are the pros and cons of each procedure? How long does each of the prosthetic devices last? What are the issues with each of the different devices (metal vs. ceramic vs. plastic? Thank you for your kind advice.Loretta, New York, N.Y.

A.
Dr. Patrick Meere responds:

Hip resurfacing involves a replacement of the joint’s articular surface only. A total hip replacement, or arthroplasty, on the other hand, involves surgical removal of the neck of the femur (thighbone) and insertion of a stem deep inside the bone to connect with the pelvic socket and liner.

Hip resurfacing should be an integral component of any medical practice involved in hip reconstruction. It is a part of my practice. The indications for hip resurfacing, however, have narrowed significantly over the last few years. An index, called the SARI, was developed to address the appropriateness of the operation for any specific case. Small-framed women and women of childbearing age or those with osteoporosis should abstain. The ideal candidate would be a robust middle-age man intent on returning to heavy-loading sports like running.

Hip resurfacing is technically more demanding than a hip replacement and is certainly not minimally invasive. For the right patient, though, it is a great option.

Here are some additional Web resources for more information:

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery: On outcomes after hip resurfacing

The Orthopedic Clinics of North America: On selecting patients for hip resurfacing

In your case, a hybrid hip replacement with resurfacing may be an appealing option. This approach is good for patients seeking hard-bearing longevity who place an emphasis on stretching sports rather than running or contact sports. In such cases, a metallic anatomic caliber resurfacing head can be articulated with the linerless resurfacing socket, yet be mounted on a total hip stem into the femur.

This hybrid technique has gained much popularity over the last two years. It offers flexibility, longevity, speed of recovery and compatibility with minimally invasive surgeries. Hard on hard bearings – like ceramic and metal-on-metal — are very durable, typically lasting over 20 years, though we are still unsure about the long-term rate of potential limited complications like allergy or squeaking.

Minimally Invasive Surgery vs. Hip Resurfacing

Q.
How does the procedure described in this article compare with hip resurfacing, which has been very popular overseas for many years?Richard, Seattle

A.
Dr. Patrick Meere responds:

Minimally invasive surgery and hip resurfacing generally apply to different groups of patients.

A hip resurfacing involves a large incision, with an antithetical large dissection that cuts and stretches more muscles to preserve the bone. It should therefore generally be reserved for younger and stronger individuals who can “take it.”

Minimally invasive surgery is a method of dissection that applies mostly to hip replacement surgery. It is more difficult to perform than standard surgeries and should be done by a skilled surgeon who does a large number of such procedures. Minimally invasive procedures may result in less blood loss and shorten the length of time the patient must spend in the hospital. They generally also allow for a faster recovery and return to work, with the implant lasting just as long. Since muscles and capsular tissues around the hip are preserved, a minimally invasive approach should also afford greater stability in the short term, which may lead to a better overall range of motion for activities of daily living like reaching for socks and shoes, or for recreational activities like yoga.

Depending on the type of procedure done, however, minimally invasive surgery may carry inherent supplemental risks when compared with the standard method. It is important for the patient and surgeon to discuss the risks and benefits in detail. Look for a surgeon who is well versed in all techniques to avoid those who may have a natural bias toward those techniques he or she is most comfortable with.

Minimally Invasive Hip Replacement vs. the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing

Q.
How does this newer total replacement procedure compare to the Birmingham hip resurfacing procedure in terms of stressfulness, recovery, etc. If given the option for either — which would you think is preferred?Sapmir Tap, San Francisco

A.
Dr. Patrick Meere responds:

Specifically regarding stiffness, it should be noted that most experienced hip resurfacing surgeons have realized the critical need for delicate handling of the gluteal muscles. Squat, muscular males may have massive and rigid muscles, with poor stretch potential. Overzealous tugging by the surgeon, as required to move the to-be-preserved head out of the way to prepare the socket, may lead to a complication known as heterotopic bone formation. In this condition, the muscles stiffen tremendously because of the development of large chunks of calcified material within the muscle mass. This leads to paradoxical stiffness, which can be crippling. Some studies suggest this complication occurs at a rate of over 10 percent, compared to less than 2 percent for a regular hip replacement.

I personally now reserve the resurfacing option for men younger than 65 with good bone stock who are intent on returning to heavy-loaded sports, and with a SARI index of less than 2.

A hybrid solution is an ingenious compromise for patients seeking hard-bearing longevity who place an emphasis on stretching sports (like yoga) rather than running or contact sports. In such cases, a metallic anatomic caliber resurfacing head can be articulated with the linerless resurfacing socket, yet be mounted on a total hip stem into the femur. This technique has gained much popularity over the last two years. It offers flexibility, longevity, speed of recovery and compatibility with minimally invasive surgeries.

Anterior Hip Replacement vs. Birmingham Hip Resurfacing

Q.
Is the anterior hip replacement the same as the procedure called the Birmingham hip resurfacing? If not, how do they differ?LM, Boston

A.
Dr. Patrick Meere responds:

No. The anterior hip replacement and Birmingham hip resurfacing are distinct entities.

The direct anterior approach, as popularized over the last several years by Dr. Joel Matta, is a surgical route to the hip. It provides more direct access and has many advantages. But even for trained surgeons, it cannot be considered the “only” approach. I reserve this approach for younger athletic patients with good bone mass and only mild deformity.

Engineer hip mobility regained after serious car accident.

A personal note….

February 28, 2012

Dear Dr. Louis,

I would like to thank you so much for your kindness, wonderful bedside manner, and helping to make my husband feel good again. We did our research, spoke to two other doctors and I am so glad we chose you and the direct anterior approach. It boggles my mind that anyone would do this surgery any other way. Your staff at Hinsdale Orthopaedics was wonderful, as were the nurses and staff at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, I cannot say enough good things about everyone involved. Since he was debilitated almost two years ago, I have had to do 99 percent of the work around the house. I can now give him back his 9 percent! Thank you again so very, very much!

Sincerely,

Kris H

A retired teacher finds new lease on life. Paul, a Naperville North High School teacher and coach of both football and baseball, Paul Ryan was used to being on his feet constantly for long days without much rest. During the last 10 years of his career, he experienced a gradual increase in hip pain that made long days at work extremely difficult to get through. To relieve his pain, Paul would take painkillers every day. This only allowed him to mask the pain that really needed attention from a physician. As time went on and the daily pain worsened, Paul developed a pronounced limp to compensate for the pain he felt when walking. People began to ask about his limp, and he finally decided it was time to find a solution.

Paul began by asking his daughter, a physical therapist, to consult her colleagues and come up with a list of recommended physicians that could help him. First on that list was Dr. Steven Louis, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon at Hinsdale Orthopaedics. Dr. Louis is known for using the direct anterior approach for hip arthritis patients, allowing them to get back to their daily lives soon after surgery. Interested in a quick recovery, Paul quickly contacted Hinsdale Orthopaedics and set up a consultation with Dr. Louis. After performing an x-ray and evaluating the injury, Dr. Louis strongly suggested that Paul consider having direct anterior hip replacement surgery, a new approach to hip surgery that is less invasive than traditional surgery; it involves less cutting of muscles and ligaments, a shorter hospital stay and a quicker recuperation. With full trust in Dr. Louis, he agreed to have the surgery.

The surgery took place on January 4, 2012 at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. Paul was surprised when, shortly after waking from surgery, he was instructed to slowly stand up from his hospital bed. He wearily obeyed, and was amazed by the stability of his new hip. He remained in the hospital for two days, participating in daily therapy. Dr. Louis checked on his progress several times, always encouraging him not to let his mind restrict him from getting the most from his new hip.

Paul received physical therapy from home for the following two weeks until his checkup with Dr. Louis. By that time, he had made excellent progress and started using a cane in place of crutches. Throughout the next few months, walking became easier. Today, he has nothing more than occasional discomfort in his hip, and his hip mobility is the best it has been in more than a decade. Paul’s only regret is that he didn’t find Dr. Louis sooner so he could have lived an even fuller life with less pain.

Dr. Steven Louis has been named a 2012 Physician Leader for Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital, Downers Grove, for 2012. He will serve as the Department Chair of Surgery for the hospital.

“It’s an honor to be chosen by my peers to oversee surgery at the hospital,” Dr. Louis said. “I am happy to oversee some of the best surgeons in the Midwest to continue doing what we do best – provide excellent medical care to patients in the Midwest.”

Dr. Louis is a fellowship-trained, board-certified orthopedic surgeon. A graduate of Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, he specializes in the areas of orthopedic trauma and joint replacement. He is a partner at Hinsdale Orthopaedics . His trauma sub-specialty focus is on emergent and reconstructive care for victims of high-energy accidents. This sub-specialty in pelvic trauma provides him with an expertise and comfort in performing the minimally-invasive direct anterior hip surgery. Dr. Louis is one of the few orthopedic surgeons in Illinois who performs this new, patient-friendly technique for hip arthritis.

Award-Winning, 13-Year-Old Piano Player Performs at Ravinia After Treated by Dr. Steven Louis for Broken Wrist and Elbow

Jonny Cruz, 13, is a talented pianist who is a scholarship recipient and member of the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy program for gifted, adolescent musicians. A piano player since age four, Jonny has studied and performed with several renowned musicians and orchestras. Just four months after his debut performance at Ravinia, Jonny suffered a broken wrist and broken elbow—potentially detrimental injuries for a piano player.

Fortunately, Jonny was in good hands with Dr. Steven Louis, who performed surgery to mend Jonny’s broken elbow and broken wrist. Since then, Jonny has experienced a full recovery, returning to his love for performing music. The gifted teen- who also plays the violin in his school’s honor strings ensemble and the alto saxophone in his school jazz band, and swims competitively- is seen in the video below performing with a piano trio, where he was one of three pianists selected internationally to spend three weeks in Connecticut performing numerous pieces with chamber group ensembles.

Since his recovery, Jonny performed Aaron Copland’s El Salon Mexico piano duet with Welz Kauffman, president of Ravinia, while Concert Dance, Inc. performed on stage. His biography, as printed in the program for this performance, is also shown below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0gb91wxz-Q&feature=emb_title

Richard Sroka, physical therapist amazed with hip progress of his Direct Anterior Hip surgery patient. Mr. Sroka is a Physical Therapist with Achieve Orthopedic Rehabilitation Institute in Park Ridge, has been helping patients recover from hip surgery for 12 years. “Doctors typically require six to eight weeks of physical therapy after hip surgery,” Sroka said. “Three sessions of therapy each weeks is usually needed.”

This month, for the first time in his 12-year career, Sroka is treating a patient who opted to have anterior hip surgery instead of traditional hip replacement surgery. Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics performed anterior hip surgery on the patient in December. Now, his physical therapist is amazed with his progression. “I expect he will be complete his physical therapy within the first month, and I only see him twice a week” Sroka said. “He’s also in much less pain than we usually see.”

Not only is the patient experiencing less pain, a faster recovery and less therapy than traditional hip surgery patients, Sroka took notice of his positive mentality.
“The patient is more optimistic than usual, probably from a pain standpoint and his ability to be more functional in walking and getting around,” Sroka said.

Here are some of the advantages Dr. Louis points out about the direct anterior approach over traditional hip replacement surgery:
o Less pain post-operation
o No restriction of post-op activity
o More accurate leg lengths and alignment with intra-operative X-ray
o Decreased risk of post-op hip dislocation
o Minimal incision and scarring
o Patients may walk same day as surgery
o Little or no physical rehabilitation
o Procedure is easier for patients who are overweight or obese
o Earlier release from hospital
o Cost-effective because shorter hospital stay

For more information on Dr. Steven Louis and to download a free brochure on the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, visit www.anterior-hip-surgery.com.

Triblocal Downers Grove

Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital announces 2012 Medical Executive Committee

By Advocate Good Samaritan HospitalYesterday at 11:36 a.m.
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital announced its Physician Leaders for the 2012 Medical Executive Committee beginning Jan. 1.

Officers are Medical Staff President, Dr. Richard McPartlin; Immediate Past President, Dr. Timothy Payne; and Medical Staff President-Elect, Dr. Donald Steiner.

Department Chairs include, Dr. Maleeha Ahsan, Psychiatry; Dr. Christopher Barbour, Obstetrics/Gynecology; Dr. Stephen Crouch, Emergency Medicine; Dr. William Dwyer, Pathology; Dr. Steven Louis, Surgery; Dr. John Martucci, Anesthesiology; Dr. Vijaykumar Patel, Family Medicine; Dr. George Sacy, Radiology; Dr. Peggy Supple, Pediatrics; and Dr. Rockford Yapp, Medicine.

“It’s an honor and a privilege to be serving in the best hospital in Illinois and hopefully the hospital will continue to excel and serve the community in spite of changes in the political climate,” said Dr. Richard McPartlin, Medical Staff President.

McPartlin has been on the medical staff for 34 years and wants to give back to the community by serving in this position. He was asked by members of the Medical Executive Committee to serve as their physician leader.

Just two days after orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Louis performed Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery on Karen Facenda, 68, of Lemont, she was back home and walking up and down the stairs. Within months, she was back to riding comfortably in the car to visit out-of-state grandchildren and walking the long aisles during quilt shows.

“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.”

Karen rebounded so quickly because the Direct Anterior Approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip, as opposed to the side or posterior in traditional hip replacement surgery. This allows a hip replacement to be done without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery. Dr. Louis has performed over 250 successful Direct Anterior Approach procedures on Chicago and Northwest Indiana area patients.

“Karen was a perfect candidate for this new procedure because she was in pain and wanted to get back to her active lifestyle as quickly as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle damage involved in the surgery.”

Karen, who has had arthritis for more than 20 years, previously had both of her knees replaced. Because she was no stranger to joint replacement surgery and recovery, she researched physicians and surgery techniques carefully.

When she realized her hip pain was just not going to go away, she contacted Dr. Louis who performs his surgeries at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and now trains other Hinsdale Orthopaedic surgeons in this technique. She enjoyed his casual manner, sense of humor and felt comfortable asking him questions. When she described her pain and other symptoms, they discussed the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement procedure.

Karen continues to feel great and enjoys the same, active lifestyle she enjoyed before her hip pain began. A passionate quilter, which requires long periods of standing, she plans to visit between 4-5 quilt shows this year.

Free Informational Seminar

Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is hosting a free seminar for patients to learn more about the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm in the Taylor Room, Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook. To register, please call 1.630.986.8749. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on Dr. Steven Louis and to download a free brochure on the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, visit http://orthopartnerssamplesite.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2010/12/DrLouisDirectAntApproach.pdf.

During the 1970s, tennis star Billie Jean King was a shining star both on and off the tennis court. King won 39 Grand slam titles, including 20 at Wimbledon, and was a leading activist for social change and gender equality. One battle that King struggled to win for years was against her debilitating knee pain.

Today, double-knee implants have changed King’s life and she is back playing tennis again at age 67.

Double-knee replacement surgery was King’s eighth knee operation since her first at age 23 when she was No. 1 in the world. Despite her previous knee surgeries, King’s severe pain persisted.

“I got to the point I couldn’t even walk two blocks…My life was closing in on me,” King said in an interview with Washington Post. “Now I’m pain-free, if I want to play tennis or take a walk in the park. I’m going through this mindset change now. It’s amazing. My first knee-jerk reaction is ‘Oh, I can’t — oh, yes I can do that.’ I can go up and down stairs. I wouldn’t be able to do that a year ago.”

Before returning to tennis, King underwent a year of rehabilitation, working out for 2.5 hours, five days a week.

“Billie Jean King has made an exceptional recovery, but the intensity of her training and return to tennis is not something I recommend to patients with artificial knees,” warns Dr. Steven Louis, board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Hinsdale Orthopaedics. “New knees will eventually be able to endure most activities but activities that place significant stress on the knees should forever be avoided.”

Dr. Louis, who is among the first in Chicago to offer custom-designed total knee replacements, says commitment, patience and determination are essential to returning to any activity after knee surgery.

“It is important for patients to stay realistic about their expectations with knee replacements,” Dr. Louis says. “New knees won’t make you a super-athlete or enable you to do more than you could before you developed knee pain. Just because they are new, doesn’t make the knees invincible.”

After the surgery, patients will undergo physical therapy to regain strength and movement in the knee in order to walk. Patients will experience both more and less painful days in the months following surgery, but should experience a gradual improvement in functionality and decrease in pain, says Dr. Louis.

In accordance with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Louis recommends the following activities for knee-replacement patients wishing to resume exercising after physical therapy has concluded:
• Walking
• Swimming (typically allowed 6-8 weeks after surgery)
• Dancing
• Golfing (with spikeless shoes and a cart)
• Bicycling (on level surfaces)

Activities to avoid- any that put stress on the knees- include:
• Tennis
• Badminton
• Contact sports like football and baseball
• Racquetball
• Jumping
• Squats
• Down-hill skiing

More than 90 percent of patients who undergo total knee replacement experience a dramatic decrease in knee pain and a significant improvement in performing daily activities, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

“Billie Jean demonstrates to us that life is too short to let pain keep you from being active,” says Dr. Louis. “Being proactive and not procrastinating to do something about your knee pain will contribute greatly to a faster recovery.”

If you’re experiencing knee pain and would like to speak with an experienced, board-certified orthopedic surgeon, please contact Dr. Louis by calling Sabina at 630-323-6116, ext. 7123.

Just days after orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Louis performed Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery on Jocelyn Rogers, 55, of Valparaiso, she strolled the aisles at her local Target without a cane or walker. Within just weeks, she was once again riding on the back of her husband’s motorcycle, getting on and off herself without pain.

“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.”

Jocelyn rebounded so quickly because the Direct Anterior Approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip, as opposed to the side or posterior in traditional hip replacement surgery. This allows the hip to be replaced without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery. Dr. Louis has performed over 250 successful Direct Anterior Approach procedures on Chicago and Northwest Indiana area patients.

“Jocelyn was a perfect candidate for this new procedure because she was in pain and wanted to get back to her active lifestyle as quickly as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle damage involved in the surgery.”

Jocelyn, a stay-at-home mother and wife, had no time for hip pain. She was concerned about visiting her two children in college and what the future would hold without any relief.

When her painful hip started last year, she did extensive research and contacted Dr. Louis who performs his surgeries at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and now trains other Hinsdale Orthopaedic surgeons in this technique. She enjoyed his casual manner, sense of humor and felt comfortable asking him questions. When she described her pain and other symptoms, they discussed the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement procedure.

Jocelyn continues to feel great and enjoys the same, active lifestyle she enjoyed before her hip pain began.

Free Informational Seminar

Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is hosting a free seminar for patients to learn more about the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm in the Taylor Room, Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook. To register, please call 1.630.986.8749. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on Dr. Steven Louis and to download a free brochure on the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, visit http://orthopartnerssamplesite.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2010/12/DrLouisDirectAntApproach.pdf.

The day after orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Louis performed Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery on Gillian Zarek, 70, of Romeoville, she was walking up and down stairs. Within just weeks, she was getting her perennial garden ready for the new season and standing for entire services while singing in her church choir.

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

Gillian rebounded so quickly because the Direct Anterior Approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip, as opposed to the side or posterior in traditional hip replacement surgery. This allows the hip to be replaced without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery. Dr. Louis has performed over 250 successful Direct Anterior Approach procedures on Chicago and Northwest Indiana area patients.

“Gillian was a perfect candidate for this new procedure because she wanted to get back to her active lifestyle as quickly as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle damage involved in the surgery.”

Gillian, who suffers from osteoarthritis, was no stranger to joint surgery. She counts nine in total, including two knee replacements, two thumb replacements and a shoulder replacement. “My hip replacement was definitely the easiest surgery and recovery I’ve had,” she says.

When her hip pain became unbearable early this year, she returned to Dr. Louis who repaired her husband’s shattered leg when he fell at home in 2000. She enjoyed his casual manner, confidence, sense of humor and felt comfortable asking him questions. When she described her pain and other symptoms, they discussed the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement procedure.

Gillian continues to feel great and enjoys the same, active lifestyle she enjoyed before her hip pain began. No longer the “Queen” of her Red Hat Society, she is enjoying the activities planned by other members of the club.

Free Informational Seminar

Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is hosting a free seminar for patients to learn more about the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm in the Taylor Room, Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook. To register, please call 1.630.986.8749. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on Dr. Steven Louis and to download a free brochure on the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, visit http://orthopartnerssamplesite.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2010/12/DrLouisDirectAntApproach.pdf

Just three weeks after orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Louis performed Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery on Cynthia Matyus, 50, of Orland Park, she enjoyed the freedom of wearing high heels with no fear of ‘walking funny.’ Several months after that, she helped move her daughter into a college dorm room all by herself.

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

Cynthia rebounded so quickly because the Direct Anterior Approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip, as opposed to the side or posterior in traditional hip replacement surgery. This allows the hip to be replaced without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery. Dr. Louis has performed over 250 successful Direct Anterior Approach procedures on Chicago and Northwest Indiana area patients.

“Cynthia was a perfect candidate for this new procedure because she was in pain and wanted to get back to her active lifestyle as quickly as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle damage involved in the surgery.”

Cynthia, a stay-at-home mother and wife, had no time for hip pain. She was concerned about keeping up with her two teenage daughters who both love to shop.

When her hip pain increased last year, she took the advice of a friend and contacted Dr. Louis who performs his surgeries at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and now trains other Hinsdale Orthopaedic surgeons in this technique. She enjoyed his casual manner, sense of humor and felt comfortable asking him questions. When she described her pain and other symptoms, they discussed the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement procedure. Before she left his office during the consultation, she had a surgery date scheduled.

Cynthia continues to feel great and enjoys the same, active lifestyle she enjoyed before her hip pain began.

Free Informational Seminar
Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is hosting a free seminar for patients to learn more about the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm in the Taylor Room, Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook. To register, please call 1.630.986.8749. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on Dr. Steven Louis and to download a free brochure on the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, visit http://orthopartnerssamplesite.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2010/12/DrLouisDirectAntApproach.pdf

Dr. Steven Louis, one of a short list of orthopedic surgeons in the Chicago area performing the revolutionary, less-invasive Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, is conducting a free, informational seminar on this, the latest technique in total hip replacement. The seminar will be held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, October 25, at The Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive, Bolingbrook. To register, please call 630.986-8749. This event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Louis has performed over 250 anterior approach hip replacement surgeries on just as many pleased patients. The Direct Anterior (from the front) Approach is less invasive, less painful and allows a quicker recuperation than traditional hip replacement surgery done from the rear or side of the body. That’s because this technique is minimally invasive and allows the surgeon to replace the hip without detaching muscles around it. Consequently, the important gluteus muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery.
This sophisticated procedure depends on surgeon training and experience. Dr. Louis is a board certified orthopedic surgeon who is fellowship trained in the area of trauma, giving him an edge over other surgeons, because he is experienced in surgical techniques that spare as much tissue as possible.

With less tissue and muscle damage, patients return to normal activities sooner and are pain-free more quickly.

For more information on the direct anterior approach, visit: www.anterior-hip-surgery.com.

Just days after orthopedic surgeon Dr. Steven Louis performed Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery on Alicia Montejano, 55, of Bolingbrook, she walked up and down her stairs at home six times in a row. And, four weeks after surgery, she was back to her physically demanding job as a massage therapist which requires her to stand on her feet for long periods and carry a heavy massage table.

“Before my hip replacement surgery, walking and sitting hurt. It was too hard to even go to the store,” Alicia explains. “Now, I’m working comfortably, riding a stationary bike for exercise and feel like I have a whole new life.”

Alicia rebounded so quickly because the Direct Anterior Approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip, as opposed to the side or posterior in traditional hip replacement surgery. This allows the hip to be replaced without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery. Dr. Louis has performed over 250 successful Direct Anterior Approach procedures on Chicago area patients.

“Alicia was a perfect candidate for this new procedure because she was in pain and wanted to get back to her active lifestyle as quickly as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle damage involved in the surgery.”

Alicia clearly had no time for hip pain. She was busy working three part time jobs.

When her hip pain got very bad last year, she took the recommendation of several friends and contacted Dr. Louis who performs his surgeries at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove and now trains other Hinsdale Orthopaedic surgeons in this technique. She enjoyed his casual manner, sense of humor and felt comfortable asking him questions. Dr. Louis diagnosed “bone-on-bone” osteoarthritis and worked with Alicia on different therapies, including ibuprofen and physical therapy. When her pain persisted, they discussed the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement procedure.

Post-surgery, Alicia has exceeded all of her recovery goals. She continues to feel great and enjoys the same, active lifestyle she enjoyed before her hip pain began.

Free Informational Seminar
Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is hosting a free seminar for patients to learn more about the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement surgery on Tuesday, October 25, 7 pm in the Taylor Room, Bolingbrook Golf Club, 2001 Rodeo Drive in Bolingbrook. To register, please call 1.630.986.8749. This event is free and open to the public.

For more information on Dr. Steven Louis and to download a free brochure on the Direct Anterior Approach to hip replacement, visit http://orthopartnerssamplesite.kinsta.cloud/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2010/12/DrLouisDirectAntApproach.pdf.

For patients with chronic knee pain, everyday activities such as walking, climbing up and down stairs, getting into and out of bed, and even sitting or lying down become excruciating.
If non-surgical treatments including oral medications, cortisone injections and Hyaluronic Acid injections do not help relieve knee pain, total knee replacement surgery may be an option.
Although approximately 581,000 knee replacements are done each year, how do you know if the procedure is right for you?
The decision to have total knee replacement surgery should be based on consultations with an experienced, board-certified orthopaedic surgeon, such as Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics.
Dr. Louis, in accordance with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, identifies these rationales for patients who may benefit from total knee replacement:
• Severe, debilitating knee pain when walking, climbing stairs and sitting down or standing up
• Difficulty walking more than a few blocks without extreme pain
• Persistent swelling in the knee that does not diminish with medications or rest
• Knee deformity
• Stiffness in the knee preventing bending or straightening of the joint
• Inability to find pain relief from anti-inflammatory medications
• Failure to reduce pain and swelling with non-surgical treatments
A total knee replacement, the most common joint replacement procedure, is a complete removal of the femoral, tibial and patellar joints of the knee. Dr. Louis is among the first orthopedic surgeons in the Chicago area to offer patients custom-designed knees that are tailored to an individual’s unique body mechanics, size and gender. With new technology, Dr. Louis can precisely match the size and placement of the implant to the patient’s original, healthy knee.
Dr. Louis thoroughly evaluates a patient’s medical history when determining if total knee replacement is appropriate. Physical examination assessing the knee’s motion, stability, strength and alignment is also performed. X-rays and MRI’s may be used to determine the extent of damage to the knee and the condition of the knee’s tissues.
To learn more about total knee replacements or Dr. Louis’ custom-designed knee replacement procedures, contact Sabina at 630-323-6116, ext. 7123.

Joint-replacement patients these days are younger and more active than ever before. And while implant makers are working to build longer-wearing knees and hips, many patients may not be able to resume high-impact activities. Check out the video below or read the article here >>

The National Safety Council estimates that 1.6 million car crashes each year result from cell phone use and texting while driving. In an effort to reduce this number, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association have come together in creating the “OMG” public service announcement and campaign, urging drivers never to text while driving.

As one of Chicago’s top orthopaedic trauma specialists, Hinsdale Orthopaedic’s Dr. Steven Louis treats people severely injured from serious car accidents. He has operated
on car accident victims who have been distracted while driving.

“With this technological communications breakthrough, we are using mobile phones more now than ever before. Unfortunately, as a result, orthopaedic surgeons are seeing an increasing number of trauma patients who are using mobile devices at the wrong place and time,” said Dr. Louis. “There is no such thing as a small distraction while driving and it is important to educate people that no phone call or text message is worth the risk.”
According to a study by Car and Driver magazine, a driver who is texting has a slower reaction time than an intoxicated driver. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration found that drivers take their eyes off the road for anywhere from 4.6 to 6 seconds while texting, making texting drivers 23 times more likely to get in a serious crash than non-texting drivers.

Texting is only one of the many distractions while driving in today’s high-tech vehicles that are equipped with DVD screens, GPS, CD and radio systems.
In accordance with the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Dr. Louis offers these tips to avoid being distracted while driving:
• Pull over to use a cell phone or at the very least, use a hands-free device
• Download a “safe driving” application or program a “driving” profile on your mobile phone to silence calls and turn off text alerts
• Program destination addresses into navigation before starting to drive
• Load CDs or program an MP3 playlist before starting to drive
• Use volume and station buttons on the steering wheel instead of reaching to the center counsel while listening to the radio

Dr. Louis performs surgeries for trauma patients and is also known for the direct anterior approach to hip replacement surgery. During the direct anterior approach, the surgeon avoids cutting muscle and tissue, which allows for quicker recuperation, less pain and shorter hospital stays. If you would like more information on this surgery, there is a downloadable brochure on his website at www.anterior-hip-surgery.com. If you would like to talk to Dr. Louis, please contact Sabina at 630-323-6116, ext. 7123.

Patients who are overweight and contemplating hip replacement surgery should make losing weight an important goal before and after surgery. Dr. Steven Louis, an experienced orthopaedic surgeon at Hinsdale Orthopaedics in Hinsdale, Illinois, says people who are overweight and lose weight before hip surgery, have an easier and quicker recuperation.

Losing the extra weight decreases the strain on hip joints and aids recovery. However, hip pain usually prevents patients from doing calorie-burning exercises, like walking or biking. Dr. Louis has these recommendations for patients who are trying to lose weight before a hip replacement surgery:

• Make it a goal to lose a pound a week
• Eat six times a day in smaller portions, usually between 200 and 300 calories
• Don’t eat after 6 p.m.
• Incorporate as much walking and swimming as possible into your daily exercise regimen
• Stay away from soda pop, desserts and other foods high in sugar

Dr. Jeff Rosen, lead surgeon at Lifeweigh Bariatrics in Downers Grove, Illinois, has been advising patients on weight loss for over 13 years. He agrees with Dr. Louis and offers this additional advice:

• Discuss with your physician the safest weight-loss route to take because each person needs a different, specialized plan.
• Watch sodium and fat intake, as well as carbohydrates and sugars
• Cut down on drinking alcohol or stop altogether
• If you have exercise limitations, work with a physical therapist or trainer to optimize a training regimen. This could include chair aerobics, arm or weight exercises, or water aerobics in a pool
• Exercise 5 times a week for 30 minutes each day and put in adequate effort to get the heart rate in the appropriate range

Both physicians recommend losing weight not just for the surgery, but as a lifestyle change for the rest of your life.

If you are a patient contemplating hip replacement, you should choose a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon who uses a minimally invasive technique. Dr. Louis is one a handful of physicians in the Chicago area who performs Anterior Hip Replacement Surgery. With this approach, the surgeon avoids cutting muscle and tissue, which allows for quicker recuperation, less pain and shorter hospital stays. Dr. Louis has performed more than 150 Anterior Hip replacements. If you would like more information on this surgery, there is a downloadable brochure on his website at www.anterior-hip-surgery.com. To make an appointment with Dr. Louis, contact Sabina at 630-323-6116, ext. 7123.

Dear Dr.Steven Louis, Dr. Durkin, Katie O’Connell, Sabina Chowaniec and the staff at Hinsdale Orthopaedics, plus all the staff involved with my surgery at Good Samaritan Hospital:

How do I begin to thank you? This was a long road for me. At the end of the road, I was directed to Hinsdale Orthopaedics and a visit to Dr. Durkin. Dr. Durkin looked at the x-rays and said we can give you two new hips in just one surgery visit and Dr. Louis was the person to see. I did.

Surgery was set for Sept. 30, 2010. I was a bit nervous, but confident. The day of my surgery was so smooth. I arrived early, went through pre-surgery prep and a visit to Dr. Louis. I was brought to the operating room. Everyone said “hello.” Then somebody said, “here’s your party hat.” I woke up with two new hips and no pain!

My next few days at Good Samaritan were so comfortable. I think all the nurses and staff so much. No pain.
I was home and at Action Physical Therapy in Shorewood within days. Therapy was smooth and I was very mobile by the time I saw Dr. Louis for my follow-up visit three weeks later. No pain.

I went back to work (a physical job), January 10, 2011. No pain.

Again, I thank all involved. Before surgery, I was in pain and frustrated whenever I walked. Now, I’m mobile, ready to play golf again and so happy to live every day with NO PAIN.

Thank you so much,

Jim Brabets

Patients who are exploring the latest advancements in total hip replacement will be interested in a complimentary brochure about the revolutionary, less invasive direct anterior approach to hip surgery. The brochure is available from Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics, one of a few surgeons in the Chicago area performing the direct anterior approach. The brochure is available for download at www.anterior-hip-surgery.com

Dr. Louis has performed more than 150 hip replacements using the direct anterior approach (from the front). He prefers it because it is less invasive, less painful and allows a quicker recuperation than traditional hip replacement surgery done from the rear or side of the body. That’s because this technique is minimally invasive and allows the surgeon to replace the hip without detaching muscles around it. Consequently, the important gluteus muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery.

This sophisticated procedure depends on surgeon training and experience. Dr. Louis is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon, fellowship trained in the area of trauma, giving him an edge over other surgeons, because he is experienced in surgical techniques that spare as much tissue as possible.
With less tissue and muscle damage, patients return to normal activities sooner and are pain-free more quickly.

To download a free brochure or for more information on the anterior approach, visit www.anterior-hip-surgery.com. To make an appointment with Dr. Louis, contact Sabina at 630-323-6116 x 7123

Patch.com

Erin Chan Ding

March 1, 2011

In his Lake in the Hills living room, with its wide window overlooking traffic on Algonquin Road, Jim Graff moves his arms in a circular motion in a tai chi move called “around the platter.”

His hips are perfectly balanced while he performs the move.

A few minutes later, he walks toward a flight of stairs, ascending and descending them sideways.

What’s remarkable about Graff’s movements is that last year, he could do none of them.

Back then, his right leg measured an inch longer than his left, causing him to walk with a limp. He couldn’t perform his job as a massage therapist without clients noticing him occasionally grimace with pain.

“I can do things now that I couldn’t do when I was 33,” said Graff, who’s 63 and has had arthritic discomfort since his 30s. “So my attitude, my self esteem, my faith and my outlook on life is much younger.”

Hip Surgery Gives Graff New Lease on Life

What changed for Graff was a surgery he had done that’s touted for its novel approach. Friday marks the one-year anniversary of that surgery, which replaced Graff’s left hip and is notable because it was one of the first several performed by Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics using what’s called a direct anterior approach.

Instead of reaching the hip from the side or the back in the traditional way, the direct anterior approach does what its name implies: accesses patients’ hips from the front.

Louis, who is one of just a handful of orthopedic surgeons in the Chicago area performing hip replacements using a direct anterior approach, says the advantages to the direct anterior approach are smaller incisions, less trauma on muscles and tendons and faster recovery times.

Louis said he started using this approach about 18 months ago and has performed about 100 surgeries, including Graff’s. What has popularized the surgery recent years is not the newness of the procedure — it was first performed in France in the 1950s – but the availability of a surgical table that was invented and modified in the last decade.

“The easiest thing for people to understand what the table does is that it’s an assistant that’s really strong and never gets tired,” Louis said.

Called a Hana Table, the device allows the surgeons to manipulate their patients’ legs in ways so they can get access to and operate on their hips from the front.

Road to Recovery

Graff, who had his right hip replaced a decade ago with a traditional hip replacement, said he had such a rough time rehabilitating from the first surgery that he intentionally waited until a less invasive approach that led to quicker recovery time was available before attempting to replace the other.

Graff went to a demonstration that Louis, who performs the surgery at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, was giving and decided the anterior approach would be his solution.

“The only thing that went through my mind,” he said, recalling the demo, “is when you’re sitting in class, and the teacher asks a question. I raised my hand, and I said, ‘Me next!’”

After his first hip surgery using the traditional approach, it took Graff nearly two months to walk without a walker. After the second using the direct anterior approach, it took just one week.

“I think he’s doing great,” said Louis, who said the only challenges he’s encountered with the anterior approach is that it can take a little more surgical time and generally can cause the patient to lose a little more blood.

Louis Impressed With Patients’ Success

Overall, Louis says he’s “ecstatic with the result of this particular surgery. I see patients coming back in two weeks and doing things that make my jaw drop.”

For Graff, whose brown eyes shine with delight behind a pair of silver glasses, the fact that his hips are now made of titanium, stainless steel and plastic is not evident.

What is clear is that he can now tie his shoes and sit cross-legged without pain. What’s more, every day, he passes two medals awarded to him in 1993 and 1994 for finishing the grueling Pikes Peaks Ascent, which requires runners to climb 7,815 feet.

The medals are not only a commemoration but an Graff’s inspiration for one more ambitious goal: Pikes Peak Ascent 2012, with new hips climbing each step.

By: Celeste Perron
Health Goes Strong
health.lifegoesstrong.com
February 21, 2011
If you or a relative is contemplating hip replacement surgery, you are certainly not alone; more than 193,000 hip replacements are performed each year in the US. The procedure usually provides a big boost in mobility and quality of life for people who’ve suffered from osteoarthritis.

But while the end result is less pain, recovery has been long and unpleasant—until now. A relatively new technique, called “direct anterior approach” hip replacement, is leaving patients pain-free and flexible within days of surgery. In this type of surgery, the surgeon operates from the front of the hip, whereas the traditional method has involved cutting through the rear or the side of the hip to get to the socket. “Approaching from the front doesn’t require tearing through muscle and tissue, so there’s less healing required,” says Dr. Steven Louis, and orthopedic surgeon at Hinsdale Orthopaedics in suburban Chicago. “Patients experience less pain and return to normal activities sooner.”

Anterior approach hip replacement is a relatively new procedure, and Dr. Louis started performing it a little over 18 months ago. “But now I recommend it for nearly everybody,” he says. “My patients who’ve had one hip done the old way and a second hip done this way all say that there’s a world of difference in the recovery. One woman came to see me about two weeks after I did her second hip with the anterior approach and she joked, ‘I am so mad at you! Why weren’t you doing this two years ago when I had my first hip done?’”

But if you or a family member is considering hip replacement, your doctor might not mention the anterior approach, since it’s still rare—Dr. Louis estimates that only about 1% of hip surgeons perform it. Why isn’t it more common? “It takes a little longer, and it really helps to have a special surgical table, and those tables are expensive for hospitals,” he says. “But it’s getting increasingly common and I’m sure that this will become the dominant technique in the future.”

Dr. Louis adds that the anterior approach isn’t right for everybody (people whose hips have suffered trauma, for example) and that there’s nothing wrong with the old-fashioned style of hip replacement, but this new technique trumps it in terms of recovery. “From what I’ve seen the recovery is very different over the first six weeks, and somewhat better over the first six months, but two years later probably the only difference is the location of the scar.”

So if your doctor hasn’t told you about the anterior approach, I’d certainly suggest consulting a doctor who does it to see if you’re a candidate. As I’ve written before (and know from a very personal experience) getting a second opinion is always, always, essential when making a decision about major surgery.

You can learn more about anterior approach hip replacement at www.hipandtrauma.com, and more about hip replacement in general from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Submitted to Good Samaritan Hospital CEO by a hospital patient:

“I met a guy who was walking with a limp last night. Well dressed, well spoken guy. I asked if he had an injury. He said he just had hip surgery last week (mind you this was last night Tuesday!) I said “Last week?” he said yes Thursday. I said “Wow” you are moving around pretty good for a guy who just had hip surgery 5 days ago. He said “Yeah a new kind of procedure from a very special doc at a very special hospital” I said “What hospital?” He said “Good Samaritan” He said that the doc and the procedure (anterior access instead of posterior) was new and only done by a few docs at a few hospitals. He raved about Good Sam from the doc (Dr. Steven Louis), to the nurses, to the simplicity of things as he said in his past few experiences at different local hospitals things were totally screwed up and nobody knew what anybody was doing. He said at Good Sam everybody was on the same page.”

Sun-Times Media

Katie Foutz

January 31, 2011

At 60 years old, Hugh Crebs moved around like a much older man: waddling, finding it difficult to get in and out of the car, seeing stairs as almost impossible to climb.

He saw his family doctor for his back and leg pain and took the heavy-duty painkiller Vicodin for nine months.

He saw an orthopedic surgeon for what he thought was a knee problem. After taking X-rays, the surgeon said Crebs needed a dual hip replacement and could expect to be out of work for up to six months — per hip — to recover.

Crebs, a school custodian from Naperville, couldn’t afford that much time off. His wife, Madeleine, was worried he might get one hip replaced and never go back to replace the other. So they got a second opinion from Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics, whose new approach to hip surgery could cut Crebs’ recovery time by half.

It’s called the direct anterior approach — a technique in which the surgeon replaces the hips through cuts to the front of the body, rather than the side or back of the body. Louis first performed the procedure in 2009 and has completed more than 100 of the surgeries since.

Louis uses a special surgical table to help him position the patient better. Despite the additional training and technology, the cost of the surgery is the same because it’s still hip replacement surgery.

Candidates for the surgery include people with arthritis who have tried nonsurgical solutions first, such as weight loss, activity modification, walking with a cane, or using physical therapy, oral medications, injections and joint supplements.

Patients who have had previous surgeries to the pelvis might not be good candidates for the anterior approach because the hardware could get in the way, Louis said.

“The posterior or the side is a great surgery anyway; (patients) do really well,” Louis said. “I just think that my patients do a little bit better in the short run with this particular approach.”

Crebs thinks so, too. He underwent his dual hip replacement surgery Oct. 25, which used the direct anterior approach. The next day, he was up and walking around his hospital room. The next day he was walking the halls and stairs with a physical therapist, and three days after surgery, the hospital released him.

Three months later, he’s driving, running errands, climbing stairs and walking normally. He plans to return to work soon.

“I’ve still got a little pain but not like it was,” Crebs said.

Louis is offering a free public seminar on the topic at 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove.

To view the original story: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/3428998-423/louis-surgery-approach-body-hip.html

Daily Herald

Anna Madzyrk

January 23, 2011

Suzanne Lonngren, 56, has had both of her hips replaced, in separate surgeries 1½ years apart. Same surgeon. Same hospital. But the two recoveries were like “night and day,” she said.

The first time, the Lombard resident had a traditional hip replacement. For her second surgery, she was the beneficiary of a new less-invasive technique that doesn’t require detaching muscles from the hip or thigh bones.

“There was much, much, much less pain,” said Lonngren, a surgical nurse and former ballet dancer. “No matter how you do it, (hip replacement is) a pretty violent surgery; it’s pretty rough, but this is far nicer and gentler.”

The operation was done by Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics, one of a handful of Chicago-area surgeons using the direct anterior approach. The surgeon reaches the hip joint from the front, pushing aside key muscles and tendons instead of cutting them.

Traditionally, hip replacement is done using a posterior (rear) or lateral (side) approach.

“The actual replacement is the same,” Louis said. “It’s just how you get there; it’s what’s not damaged or cut,”

Louis has completed more than 100 hip replacements using this approach. He does the operation at Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, one of a few hospitals with the high-tech operating table used in this surgery. Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood also has the specialized table, and surgeons there have performed more than 250 direct anterior hip replacements.

With the patient’s foot in what resembles a ski boot, the leg is extended and rotated backward, then held in position for the surgery.

Because the muscles aren’t cut, patients have less pain and recover more quickly, surgeons say.

The risk of hip dislocation after surgery is much lower. After a traditional hip replacement, patients are warned not to bend the hip more than 90 degrees, not to cross their legs or tie their shoes and to sleep with a pillow between their knees. There are no restrictions following hip surgery with the direct anterior approach.

“It’s just your body’s pain tolerance; if it hurts, don’t do it,” said Lonngren, who was back to making dinner, going shopping and using the stairs about a week after her second hip replacement.

The new technique also makes it easier to operate on both hips at once, Louis said.

Hugh Crebs, 61, of Naperville needed both hips replaced due to severe arthritis, but didn’t want to go through recovery and physical therapy twice. His wife found Dr. Louis through an online search.

“My life has completely changed since the surgery,” said Crebs, who is looking forward to getting back to yard work in the spring.

There are a few downsides to the direct anterior approach: The patient sustains slightly more blood loss; the procedure is physically harder on the surgeon; and the procedure takes longer than a traditional hip replacement.

For those reasons, the extra training needed and the specialized table costing up to $100,000, most hip replacements will continue to be done using the traditional approach, Louis said.

But 10 to 15 years from now, he predicts, about half of the surgeries will use the new approach

To view the original story: http://dailyherald.com/article/20110123/entlife/799999921/#ixzz1DLAL0xOQ

Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgery is a relatively new procedure which allows the surgeon access to the affected hip from the front of the body, rather than through the traditional approach, from the patient’s side or back. Both are minimally-invasive, but by using the anterior approach, the surgeon can replace the hip without detaching the important muscles of the femur and pelvis. Consequently, the Direct Anterior Approach leaves a patient with less scarring and requires far less recovery time than its traditional alternative.

Many orthopaedic surgeons perform the traditional hip replacements, but only a handful of Chicago-area orthopaedic surgeons use the Direct Anterior Approach. Dr. Steven Louis, M.D., of Hinsdale Orthopaedics, successfully performed more than 100 Direct Anterior Approach hip replacements last year.

What’s more, Dr. Louis’ extensive training and experience as a trauma surgeon has uniquely prepared him to perform Direct Anterior Approach hip replacement surgeries. His fellowship at The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City focused exclusively on orthopedic trauma, including reconstructive work on the pelvis. Like trauma, this hip replacement surgery technique is done on a specialized table, using xray guidance and done with the patient flat on their back. His patients enjoy a quicker and less painful recuperation and also appreciate the specialized care Dr. Louis provides.

About Dr. Steven Louis, M.D.:

In addition to his work as a partner and staff physician at Hinsdale Orthopaedics, Dr. Louis is also the Director of Orthopaedic Trauma at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, IL. Hinsdale Orthopaedics is located at 550 West Ogden Avenue, Hinsdale, IL, 60521. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Louis, please call Sabina at 630-323-6116, ext. 7123.

Sun-Times Media/Pioneer Press

January 13, 2011

Once the weather is warmer, she’ll be outdoors. But for now, 76-year-old Elaine Konkel of Western Springs logs 40-45 minutes of walking a day on the indoor track at Hinsdale Community House.

On Feb. 13, Konkel had her right hip replaced at Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove. Her surgeon, Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics, used a new, less-invasive technique called the direct anterior approach. He is one of very few in the area using the method. To date, more than 100 of his patients have gone back, pain free, to their lifestyles in a fraction of the time needed by traditional hip replacement patients.

“Tylenol took care of the little pain I had,” Konkel recalled. “My surgery was on a Thursday. I was home by Saturday evening. A visiting nurse stopped by on Sunday morning. I was walking without a cane or walker in 10 days.”

Konkel’s first hip replacement surgery, using the traditional technique, was in October 2009. She was hospitalized for four days. Then she spent more than weeks at a rehabilitation center. Seven weeks after surgery, she still needed a cane.

Her first surgery left her with a 9-inch scar; her second, a 3-inch scar.

The direct anterior approach allows surgeons to reach the hip joint from the front of the hip, as opposed to the side or posterior angle used in traditional hip replacements. The hip can be replaced without detaching muscles from the pelvis or femur. Thus, the gluteal muscles, important to hip function, are less affected.

Konkel learned about the new procedure from a physical therapist she was working with after her first replacement surgery. Then she attended a seminar on the technique at Good Samaritan in late January.

“I was so impressed,” she said. “Three people who’d had the surgery said they were walking again almost immediately afterwards.”

Konkel asked Louis how much post-op physical therapy she’d need.

“You shouldn’t need any,” he replied.

“It was a miracle,” Konkel insisted. “I walked slowly at first. After six months, Dr. Louis said I was doing fine.”

To view photos visit: http://pioneerlocal.mycapture.com/mycapture/folder.asp?event=1151402&CategoryID=1783

Dr. Steven Louis of Hinsdale Orthopaedics is one of the first in Chicago to have performed 100 hip replacements using the new, anterior approach, which is changing lives for patients with severe hip pain. He performed his 2000th in November of 2010.

The anterior approach from the front is less invasive and painful and allows a quicker recuperation than traditional hip replacement surgery done from the rear or side of the body. Dr. Louis’ extensive background in trauma surgery gives him an edge over other surgeons, because he is used to manipulating organs and tissue in a confined area. The direct anterior approach is minimally invasive and requires him to replace the hip without detaching muscle from the pelvis or femur. Illinois Consequently, the important gluteal muscles, which play a key role in hip function, are less affected than with traditional hip replacement surgery.

With less tissue and muscle damage, patients return to normal activities sooner and are pain-free more quickly.

Jim Graff, 63, of Lake-in-the-Hills, recently underwent direct anterior approach hip replacement by Dr. Louis. After just six weeks post-surgery, he was back to practicing Tai Chi and Chi Kong — and back to work as a massage therapist. The best part is that within days he was completely pain-free and flexible after years of discomfort and limited motion from a frozen hip and uneven legs caused by an earlier hip replacement.

“I haven’t been this limber and comfortable since I was pre-pubescent,” Graff explains. “I’m back to exercising regularly and performing well at my job which sometimes requires standing for up to six hours at a time. This was not the case with my first traditional hip replacement.”

Graff’s quick recovery is in sharp contrast to the long recuperation and side effects he experienced when he had a traditional (posterior approach) hip replacement on his left hip by another physician in 2001. That surgery also left one leg shorter than the other which made him walk with a limp. Dr. Louis also lengthened his leg.

“There are many patients like Jim who are perfect candidates for this new procedure because they are in relatively good health and want to get back to an active lifestyle and job as quickly as possible,” Dr. Louis explains. “This less-invasive Direct Anterior Approach is much easier on the patient because there is less tissue and muscle involved in the surgery.”

On March 5th, Dr. Steven Louis and his team from Hinsdale Orthopaedics—Katelyn O’Connell, board certified physician assistant and Ann Whirl, clinical and surgical assistant—headed out for Haiti to join University of Maryland physicians and Catholic Relief Services. The team would be delivering medical treatment to Haiti’s earthquake victims at St. Francois du Sales Hospital, Port au Prince.

https://vimeo.com/97752283

WBFF-TV FOX 45’s cover story “Haiti: Mission of Hope,” Jennifer Gilbert and Darren Durlach report on the University of Maryland Medical Center’s ongoing relief efforts to help the Haitian people recover from the devastating earthquake that shook the country in January 2010. This ongoing mission is a partnership with Catholic Relief Services, the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and St. Francois de Sales Hospital in Haiti.

Hinsdale Orthopaedics responded to this crisis in March by sending experienced Trauma Surgeon Dr. Steven Louis, Physician Assistant Katelyn O’Connell and Clinical and Surgical Assistant Ann Whirl to Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Part One

By Don Grigas, dgrigas@mysuburbanlife.com
Suburban Life Publications
Hinsdale, IL —

The first thing Dr. Steven Louis noticed upon his return trip to Haiti as part of a volunteer medical team was the quality of the air.

“When I first visited there in March — less than two months after the earthquake — the stench of decaying bodies hung in the air,” said Louis, who visited the island country recently to provide medical services to those in need.

“Back then dead bodies were still trapped beneath the rubble. On our most recent trip, you immediately noticed the odor of dead bodies was gone,” said Louis, an orthopedic surgeon at Hinsdale-based Hinsdale Orthopedic Associates, who specializes in trauma and complex fractures.

Louis was one of five Hinsdale Orthopedic staff members who traveled to Port au Prince from June 12 to 20 to provide volunteer medical services to those still suffering from the aftermath of the earthquake that killed 250,000 in January.

Volunteer teams have rotated weekly since shortly after the earthquake, but as the program nears its conclusion — the last team is scheduled to serve in early August — the need for medical services is exceeded by the need to train doctors and nurses for continued care.

“I think the challenge now is in trying to build a sustainable system in Haiti so that others are trained to carry on,” said Dr. Kenneth Schiffman, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in upper extremities.

Schiffman said international volunteer medical teams are providing key services once offered by local doctors and nurses who, in large part, are no longer there.

Following the earthquake, which destroyed the three hospitals serving Port au Prince, many doctors and nurses left the island to practice in the United States.

Medical efforts are hindered not only by a lack of local medical staff, but by a supply system that is all but non-existent, doctors said.

One day Louis had to cancel 12 surgeries scheduled for the following two days due to a lack of sterilization equipment.

“We eventually learned that ‘m.d.’ stands for ‘make do’. We were practicing McGyver medicine,” Louis said.

Despite a lack of some of the most basic items, Dr. Robyn Vargo was able to perform an amputation of a woman’s lower leg and provided the patient with an improvised prosthetic.

“We had brought a prosthesis with us, and we were able to use it on a woman who needed an amputation of the left leg just below the knee,” said Vargo, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in foot and ankle surgery. “The problem was the prosthetic was designed for the right leg, not the left.”

Vargo was able to jury-rig the prosthetic to be used as a left leg.

“We just shaved it down and adjusted it so it fit into the woman’s left shoe,” Vargo said.

Louis said the satisfaction of helping those in need was tempered by the reality that patients in a depressed country like Haiti will never be served to the same level as those in the United States.

“There was one young girl, about 9 years old, who became attached to us the first time I was there in March. We knew there was something wrong with her then, but couldn’t diagnose it at the time. On our return we discovered she had leukemia,” said Louis.

The girl could not be sent to the United States for care that could have given her a chance to live because she could not obtain a visa, and she died while Louis was in the hospital.

“She died there in front of me,” said Louis.

Some of the other obstacles foreign medical teams face in Haiti are increased risk of infections, patients whose superstitions sometimes hinder necessary medical operations, and less than ideal hospital conditions.

The five-story St. Francois de Sales Hospital was all but leveled in the earthquake, and the existing operating room resembles the inside of a cinder block auto repair shop.

Overall the situation in Haiti continues to improve, but progress seems to come at a snail’s pace, doctors said.

Work days for the teams began at about 7 a.m. and concluded each night at dusk, with armed escorts guiding them through the streets of Haiti to their private residences.

“We would caravan back and forth in vehicles, not stopping, going through red lights with the emergency vehicle lights going,” Vargo said.

When we got there authorities gave us instructions on what to do in the event we were ever kidnaped,” Vargo said. “Some of the experience was harrowing, and you knew it was dangerous. As a woman I felt a little more vulnerable.”

Despite the obstacles, the team came away with positive images of Haiti and its people.

“What is amazing is how durable the people of Haiti are,” said Louis. “They have tremendous faith.”

Proviso Herald, April, 2009

Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery was the topic April 6, when Dr. Steven Louis, Hinsdale orthopedic surgeon, came to the Bellwood Public Library to speak to library patrons about his humanitarian relief work in Haiti. Dr. Louis’ program was part of the program for the first meeting of the newly formed Black history group, Moments in Black History.

Dr. Louis is an orthopaedic surgeon, specializing in trauma, at Hinsdale Orthopaedics in Hinsdale, Katelyn O’Connell is a board-certified physician assistant, and Ann Whirl is a clinical and surgical assistant. O’Connell and Whirl accompanied Dr. Louis to Haiti.

Dr. Louis, O’Connell and Whirl were invited to go to Haiti as part of a 22-member University of Maryland medical team to help earthquake survivors in Haiti, co-sponsored by Catholic Relief Services. Medical professionals from the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center and University of Maryland Institute of Human Virology were also part of the team.

Dr. Louis, O’Connell and Whirl visited St. Francois de Sales Hospital in Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. In the earthquake, the hospital had collapsed on itself, burying 50 doctors, nurses and patients. The lingering smell of the victims’ decomposing bodies reminded the relief workers that the lack of equipment had meant that many died in the rubble. Members of Dr. Louis’ team worked in tents in the open air, adjacent to the collapsed hospital.

Dr. Louis narrated a slide presentation. The devastation witnessed by Dr. Louis’ team was curiously inconsistent. Eerily, in the area of the city around the hospital, all buildings had collapsed except for a funeral home. Some areas of the city seemed relatively unscathed, while in others undamaged buildings stood side by side with heaps of rubble.

When the team went out to dinner, they found it strange that while inside the restaurant, they felt as though they were in another world. Inside the restaurant, everything was normal and there were no shortages. Outside, on the other hand, was devastation in every direction.

Despite the devastation, Dr. Louis noted that the Haitians still managed to present their Sunday best of crisp white clothing when it was time to go to church. Since many people were living outside, sometimes in tents or lean-tos, he didn’t know how some Haitians succeeded in maintaining their standards.

The medical team’s work was exhausting, Dr. Louis said, and the medical cases different from his usual work. In Haiti, he performed 15 surgeries in the team’s week-long visit. That’s more than twice as many surgeries as he’d perform at home in the same time. Most of the surgeries he performed in Haiti were to clean up infections that had developed at the sites of previous surgery.

In Haiti, the medical team was forced to observe a very strict triage discipline. Cases that would have been considered emergencies here at home were forced to wait while even more serious cases made a higher priority for operation.

Dr. Louis hopes to return in a month’s time. In the meantime, Hinsdale Orthopaedics is collecting gently-used orthopaedic supplies to ship to Haiti, including crutches, braces, canes, slings, splints and walker boots.

Moments in Black History is a new history discussion club spearheaded by Head of Circulation and 17-year Bellwood library veteran Jacqueline Spratt. Moments in Black History is intended to promote awareness of our own history and that of notable Black Americans because the more you know about how we got here and how change has influenced our society the greater our understanding of the present. That awareness helps us to know ourselves and cope with dynamic change of our lives today.

At meetings, members will read books, watch films and live presentations, like that given Dr. Louis Tuesday night. Spratt is eager to welcome new members; if you’re interested in joining, call Spratt at (708) 547-7393, Ext. 13.

Letter from Dr. Steven Louis to Fellow Volunteers after Haiti Mission #1:

“It is difficult to put all of what has happened and all of what has and is still going through my head, down in plain words on paper.

When people ask me how was the trip, my first response was hell. It is a great way to let them all know right off the bat of the conditions down there, from the structural, economic, climate, transportation, security, social and political situations. They all perk up after I say this. Then I go into what great work was getting done and how rewarding it was to be part of it. I tell them that I have never worked so hard in my life, and that there is LOTS more work left!

I want you to know that my team and I will never forget what we were a part of down there. As I said to you when we were down there together, we appreciate the invitation to help out, and we are all ready to spend another taxing (but rewarding) week down there.

You guys, in partnership with Catholic Relief Services, have put together a real class act that has far-reaching potential to make a huge difference. It is our honor to have been a part of the team, and we hope to be a part of a future team.”

— Dr. Steven Louis, Hinsdale Orthopaedics

By SARA CLARKSON Staff Writer

The Hinsdale Orthopaedic team which was in Haiti for eight days last week returned late on Sunday night to a feast of salads and long, very long, hot and steamy showers. On Monday morning, not even 12 hours after returning, the trio of orthopaedic surgeon Steven S. Louis, M.D., physician’s assistant Katey O’Connell and orthopaedic and surgical assistant Ann Whirl, were back at the Hinsdale Orthopaedics offices, running through their pictures, talking about their showers and individual patients who had affected them.

To return to neatly ordered Hinsdale and Clarendon Hills after the rubble, frustrating medical cases, strict supervision, ice cold showers and frequent power outages of Haiti was a relief. To walk into a physically sound structure to conduct their healing work was almost like a revelation because such a commonplace activity here is not at all commonplace there anymore.

The St. Francis de Sales Hospital in Port-au-Prince where they volunteered was essentially destroyed during the Jan. 12 earthquake. Whole floors of the hospital collapsed down one onto another onto another with only a few spaces left standing and barely stable enough to continue to be used. One such space became an operating room, with a screen dividing it in two so that one side could be used for general surgery and other side for orthopaedic surgery.

The operating room and the various “wards” — essentially large tented areas — were just feet away from where the largest part of the hospital collapsed onto itself. At least 50 people, including nurses, doctors and patients are still buried in that debris. Their screams and cries, according to the stories the Hinsdale group heard, continued for up to a week after the earthquake and then stopped. A powerful stench serves as a reminder that part of the hospital is now burial ground.

“You get used to it fairly quickly,” wrote O’Connell in one of her daily emails sent home, but she was only talking about the smell not the idea.

The Hinsdale Orthapaedics group, however, was there to serve the living, and the day had too few working hours to accomplish what they would have liked to. For one thing, the group was severely restricted in how long they could work. They were delivered to the hospital by 8 a.m. every morning in a racing and raging convoy that O’Connell compared to a roller coaster ride.

Some four to five cars took the entire team from the house that Catholic Relief Service and the University of Maryland Shock Treatment Center, the sponsoring organizations, rented for the dozen or so medical volunteers of which the Hinsdale group was a part. This convoy of locked cars stopped infrequently if at all, speeding the entire 45 minutes. The reason for the speed was security. The entire group was held under not just lock and key but also protected with armed guards. Haiti has hosted a few kidnappings of foreigners and Catholic Relief Services was not going to allow its volunteers to become victims.

Promptly at 4:30 p.m. the medical volunteers were to end their work, get back into the convoy and head back to the house on the hill whether their work was finished or not. Louis, O’Connell and Whirl said that for the eight and a half hours they were working, they were working. They had no time to eat, no time to use the bathroom and no time to chat.

One case particularly disturbed to them. A young girl, the only child of a family to survive the earthquake, had a crush injury on her ankle, which was not only dislocated by exposed to the bone and had been for weeks. Every day the wound had to be dressed and cleaned, a painful and malodorous process. Louis and O’Connell, through translators, desperately wanted to convince the family to amputate the foot, but the family was against it until the Hinsdale experts made the family clean and dress the wound themselves. The girl’s screams went on for 10 minutes. After that, the family gave permission for the amputation.

In eight days, Louis said he performed 15 surgeries — he might do seven during a regular week here — and of those most were to clean up infections left over from a previous surgery. This was not the sort of thing he sees routinely in his regular practice.

“I’ve never been so emotionally, mentally and physically exhausted in my life,” said Louis.

In fact, once the Hinsdale group got to the Port-au-Prince airport and sat in the air conditioned lounge to await their departing flight, it was the first air conditioning they had felt in a week. Suddenly, the exhaustion caught up to just about all of them and they found themselves sound asleep.

“What don’t I appreciate?” said Whirl about being home again on Monday. “Like being able to have a piece of fruit, being able to brush your teeth without bottled water, like having the freedom of being able to come and go and as I want.”

O’Connell is looking forward to getting back to normal life, and Louis is anxious for another opportunity to return in two months or so, if possible. Despite the devastation on a scale photos can’t convey, they found some satisfaction in the work and the smiles they received.

“Dr. Louis and I were pleasantly surprised today when a patient who we’ve called ‘the grumpy one’ and who even tried to bite us earlier this week, actually asked a translator to have us to in and give her a hug good-bye. She even said ‘Thank you’ in English,” wrote O’Connell in her last e-mail home.