Orthopaedics

Success Stories

Who better to tell about UPMC Hamot's service than our patients. These case studies give you a glimpse of what it's like to go through treatment and what our very own patients have to say about their experience.

Saving my son's life...

Success Story - The UPMC Hamot Hip & Knee Center Gave Me Back my Life!

“The pain became so intense that I had to remain back in our hotel room. I missed out on watching the excitement of my grandsons’ first visit to Disneyworld,” says Mary, an active wife, mother and grandmother. The disappointing vacation forced Mary to realize she had to do something about her problem.

Mary had a very busy life working at her job, traveling and spending time with her two grandsons. But arthritis had ravaged her hip and, eventually, the pain became so overwhelming that walking and even sitting were agonizing.

She heard from a family friend that the UPMC Hamot Hip & Knee Center might be a place that could offer her some options to relieve the debilitating pain. Her family doctor referred Mary to a surgeon at Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine of Erie. After her consultation, Mary learned that she was a candidate for total hip replacement surgery. With the memory of her painful vacation experience still fresh, Mary made the decision to have hip replacement surgery.

After Mary was scheduled for her hip replacement surgery at UPMC Hamot, she participated in a Pre-op class with other joint replacement patients. Her instructor explained the details of her surgery, what to expect after surgery and provided them with their own patient education book. She was happy that all her pre-surgery tests were done that same morning. “They made it so convenient for me and they even gave us lunch, “adds Mary.

Mary’s surgery went well, as she was fitted with a hip implant customized to her age, gender and lifestyle. After surgery, Mary joined other total joint patients in the UPMC Hamot Hip & Knee Center. Her surgeon administered appropriate pain medication to help ease Mary through her first days after surgery. She was attended to by nurses and staff who work exclusively in the Hip & Knee unit.

By the next day, Mary and the other joint replacement patients were doing therapy together and enjoying a group lunch. “The therapist got me up and moving around right away. They even had a car on the floor so I could learn to get in and out of it,” says Mary.

Mary was discharged to her home after three days in the UPMC Hamot Hip & Knee Center. At home, she was treated by Great Lakes Home Healthcare’s nurses and physical therapists. Later, a UPMC Hamot van picked Mary up at her home and brought her to outpatient therapy. After a short time she didn’t need her walker or cane and was well on the road to full recovery.

“Only six weeks after my surgery, I enjoyed Thanksgiving with my family, without pain,” says Mary.

Mary has regained her active life, participating in her grandkids’ busy lives, working again and, of course vacationing. When asked what she would tell others who suffer from devastating hip pain, Mary offers some straight forward advice: “You owe it to yourself to call the UPMC Hamot Hip & Knee Center.”

Success Story - Severe Hip Pain

Name: Frances
Age: 78
Lifestyle: Volunteer
Problem: Severe hip pain

Frances has always been an active woman, but recently she just wasn't able to keep up. The pain in her hip was so intense that she could barely walk from one side of her house to the other. She had reached the point where the pain was running her life. She saw an advertisement for UPMC Hamot's Hip and Knee Class and went to find out what she could do to get rid of this pain.

At the class, our orthopaedic experts explained what could go wrong with the hip and knee. Frances realized that she needed help to get this hip fixed and get back to living. While at the class, she was able to schedule an appointment with one of UPMC Hamot's orthopaedic surgeons. After an examination, it was obvious that Frances needed a hip replacement. The X-rays showed that the damage to her hip joint was severe, and it was going to keep worsening. Frances chose to have her hip replacement at the only 100 top hospital in the area-UPMC Hamot Medical Center.

Before surgery, Frances attended the total joint pre-operative class. During this class, she was told about everything that would happen after surgery. She also learned how to prepare her home so that it would be ready when she returned. When she awoke after surgery, the pain that used to keep her awake at night was gone. As the doctors explained, there was some pain after the surgery, but it was not the same intense pain that had changed Frances' life so dramatically. The day after surgery, Frances began her rehabilitation. Therapy was given in individual sessions in her room, as well as in group sessions where she could work with other people who had just gone through a joint replacement.

The whole experience at UPMC Hamot's Hip and Knee Center was even better than Frances had expected. Today she has no hip pain and is back to volunteering and getting on with the business of life. "Everything happened like clockwork, just like they had told me. Being around other people going through the same thing, really helped to keep me moving. "The service I received from the nurses, the therapists, from everyone, was just terrific. If I so much as moaned, someone was in the room asking what they could do for me. "Before I left the hospital, they gave me a vase of flowers and even brought in a hairstylist to do my hair. "Because of the UPMC Hamot Hip and Knee Center, my hip now feels fantastic."

Success Story - Severe Knee Pain

Name: Marj
Age: 58
Lifestyle: Mother
Problem: Severe knee pain

For Marj, living with intense knee pain had become a part of everyday life. Her life was no longer her own, but lived according to what her pain would allow. She would do everything in the morning upstairs before coming down and then not go back up until her day was finished. She would arrive as early as possible to functions so that she could get a close parking space and take her time getting into the building. She could no longer carry a purse. The extra weight was too much to bear. She stopped shopping in stores that did not have shopping carts to lean on to get around. At the end of the day, she would often cry herself to sleep because the pain was so severe.

Marj's mother had been through multiple joint replacement surgeries. She was not anxious to follow that same route. So she waited and waited, hoping that some cure would come along. During this time, she read all about any options that might be available. Then she heard about the unicompartmental knee replacement. This surgery replaced just the part of the knee that was worn out. The surgery required only one day in the hospital and allowed patients to get up and move almost immediately after surgery. With this in mind, she called her orthopaedic surgeon.

On Feb. 5, Marj underwent surgery for a unicompartmental knee replacement. By noon, she had already walked by herself into the bathroom. The pain that had limited her ability to do anything was gone already. There was some pain from surgery, but not that grating pain she had been experiencing. The staff at UPMC Hamot worked with her that day to get her moving completely on her own. On Feb. 6, she returned home without a cane or a walker. On Feb. 24, she went out dancing and had no pain- something she had not been able to do for years. Now Marj looks forward to getting back to all the things she had missed for so many years-walking at the peninsula, playing with her grandchildren-the things that matter most in life.

Keep in mind that your results may differ from those shown in this section. Your results will depend upon your personal circumstances. Please discuss your situation with your doctor if you are thinking about joint surgery.