Don’t Let Joint Pain Keep You From Doing What You Enjoy

Often, we become accustomed to living with pain. We make excuses for why we feel the way we do, attribute the pain to age and resolve just to “live with it.” However, many times, there is a medical option that can help. Meet Lynn. She is an active 59-year-old.

Lynn had degenerative issues from arthritis in her left hip, and after Phelps Health Orthopedic Surgeon Michael Potter, MD, recommended an X-ray, she found out her hip bones had disintegrated so much that they were starting to fuse together. “Every time I would walk [or put on clothes], my hip would [make] clicking sounds. It was very difficult,” Lynn says.

Dr. Potter recommended that Lynn have her hip replaced, and she was ready. “I’m an avid golfer, and all of my cars have a standard transmission, so [my inability to drive] has been a significant, emotional event for me,” she says.

Prior to surgery, Lynn attended Orthopedics Joint Camp, a free class for individuals having a joint replacement surgery. “The class was really good, because it really helped me know what to expect when I went in for surgery [and] about physical therapy,” she says. “The class was wonderful, [and I] highly recommend [it] for anybody ready to go through [a joint replacement].”

Dr. Potter just cleared Lynn to be able to start golfing and driving again. “[Dr. Potter] has done a wonderful job,” Lynn says. “I think the world of him. [He] is very caring, compassionate and understanding. To be able to get back out there [and start golfing again] six weeks after surgery is phenomenal.”

Lynn says others who are living with joint pain shouldn’t wait to see an orthopedic surgeon. She realizes she waited too long. “I [kept thinking], I can still walk. It’s okay. I didn’t realize that my hip was causing me to walk bent forward, [and] now I’m walking up straight six weeks later.”