The 71-year-old suffered from extreme deterioration of her hips. The technical diagnosis was left hip primary osteoarthritis. The pain was so intense, she couldn’t sit or stand for long periods of time. Standing in the kitchen or walking around the office at her job as a local government consultant were acts of endurance.
“I was in constant pain, walking, standing, sitting – everything was painful for the past couple of years” said the Apache Creek resident.
Her recovery from her June surgery was also much faster than anticipated. “After just three WEEKS, I was able to begin walking without any assistance. I had almost no pain, and was able to resume my daily activities and it felt great,” said Carrejo.
Her quick recovery is due to the recommendation made by Dr. Brian Robinson, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Southwest Bone and Joint Institute in Silver City, New Mexico.
Dr. Robinson performed a type of hip replacement surgery called total hip arthroplasty (THA). Total hip arthroplasty is one of the most affordable and effective surgeries performed in orthopedics. It provides reliable outcomes for patients suffering from end-stage degenerative hip osteoarthritis.
Robinson adds, “The accuracy of the procedure comes from doing it through an anterior approach and being able to use live X-ray during surgery to put the components in the most accurate position”.
Carrejo’s surgery followed nearly 4 years of pain in her left hip. She had had a right hip replacement surgery in Albuquerque in 2013. This time she sought care from Dr. Robinson who diagnosed her left hip primary osteoarthritis. At that time, Robinson told Carrejo she would need an anterior total hip replacement.
“When she had her right hip replaced in Albuquerque several years ago, that surgeon told her that she wasn’t a good candidate for an anterior THA and performed the surgery through a posterior approach. I felt that she would recover quicker and be more satisfied with an anterior THA,” said Robinson.
Carrejo said her surgery went extremely well. “Dr. Robinson took the time to get to know me, and made certain I was comfortable with all aspects of the surgery,” she said. “He came to the hospital every day I was there, and made arrangements for me to go to rehab since the nearest health care facility for me after the surgery would have been more than a two hour trip for me to receive care.”
After receiving a total hip replacement through anterior approach, using leading-edge technology that allows patients to recover faster and experience less pain, Carrejo discovered she could stand for long periods and sit and walk without pain again. Her life is transformed, and no longer does she worry about what she can’t do. Instead, for the first time in years she is focused on what she can do – like cook dinner for the people she loves, and travel without fear of keeping up.
“The surgery made a huge difference in my life and outlook,” she said. “I’m not in constant pain and am back to enjoying life again.”