Athletes and non-athletes alike get “a new lease on life”

“The first hip replacement was so positive that I didn’t have a second thought about having the second one.”

So said Judy Hixson, 63, who was hiking and camping in Yosemite less than six weeks after her July 2002 surgery. Thinking, “If one is good, two is better,” she had her second hip replaced in November.
“Hiking is my exercise of choice,” she quipped, noting that prior to her first surgery she was walking with a cane and unable to work in the 30-acre nursery she and her husband operate.

“I spent a lot of time sitting around and couldn’t go to the Farmer’s Markets where we sell our plants,” Hixson said. “I was in so much pain that it was difficult to sleep even taking anti-inflammatory medications.”

Hixson underwent surgery at Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center, which she said deserves its reputation as “The Ritz” and is a “great hospital.” Three to four days is the normal length of a hospital stay, with people out of bed and using a walker the day after surgery.

“For a major surgery, it was just such a quick and easy fix that I would encourage anybody to not go through any pain any longer. It’s better to get it over with and get a new lease on life. I drive my husband nuts now because I have so much energy.”

Hixson suffered from severe osteoarthritis, a common condition in hips and knees that is treated with activity modification, injections and medications before total joint replacements are considered. As Hixson experienced, disabling pain arises from wear and tear on joints over time and arthritis-related damage to cartilage, the protective layer of tissue that covers the bones in joints.

“If you have even a mild abnormality in your joint, it will wear out at an accelerated pace as the years pass,” said orthopedic surgeon Mark Wainer, M.D. Genetic factors can also lead to osteoarthritis, which “used to be most common in seniors, but we’re seeing more and more of it in people in their 50’s and even their 40’s.” Fractured hips are more common in older people, he noted, because bones become more fragile with age.

Paul Berman, M.D., Karl Christoffersen, M.D., and Dr. Wainer have performed thousands of orthopedic surgeries in their combined 60 years of experience.
They also practice sports medicine, which they feel requires an appreciation of the importance of athletics to people’s overall well being and a commitment to their patients’ return to sports as soon as it is medically possible.
All athletes are susceptible to knee problems, the most prevalent sports injury, because of “rotational stress. The knee is a hinge meant to go mostly in one direction,” Dr. Berman explained. “When there is a lot of pivoting of the knee, the ligaments and cartilage can tear.”
Shoulder problems are the second most common complaint from athletes, particularly those who ski, play tennis, basketball or volleyball, or participate in “any sport where they can fall on their outstretched arm.” These injuries usually present as a pinched or torn tendon in the rotator cuff. Activity modifications, medications and injections are non-surgical treatment options.

Surgical solutions for both knees and shoulder are generally arthroscopic procedures in which the orthopedic surgeon uses a scope, fiberoptic light source and real-time video camera to make repairs. Wrists, elbows and ankles are other common sites for arthroscopic surgery.

Overuse (also called repetitive stress) is another cause of sports injuries as well as carpal tunnel syndrome. “Overuse results in inflammation of the tendon or other structures, often caused by under-conditioning, over-zealousness and/or poor technique,” Dr. Christoffersen said. Physical therapy, including conditioning, activity modification and emphasis on proper technique, can often solve the problem.

Prevention is the best medicine, though. Appropriate pre-workout warm-up stretching and strengthening exercises can make all the difference.

Dr. Berman, Dr. Christoffersen and Dr. Wainer are board certified in orthopedic surgery and practice in the Orthopedic Surgery Department of the Santa Cruz Medical Clinic. They routinely treat trauma injuries such as broken bones as well as injuries to joints, tendons and ligaments in the upper and lower extremities. Dr. Berman and Dr. Christoffersen also volunteer as team doctors at Cabrillo College and Harbor High School basketball and football games.

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