Karen McNulty – Dancer, 8/29/06, Dr. Amstutz

Update 10/11/08

I had my two year check up with Dr. Amstutz last month and all is fine. Since the surgery, I have lost 22 pounds and grew 1 inch...I can not stand up straight! I have sent and went through the surgeries of two dancers who had their hips resurfaced with Dr. Amstutz during the last year. I will meet Eileen, from the hip resurface board, this week and give her my la fuma recliner. She is flying from Santa Fe to have Dr. Amstutz do the surgery and will be recuperating one week in LA.

I think we have all been blessed with this wonderful new procedure and we should all be very thankful and try to help as many people as we can that need this type of surgery, get it and with a good doctor.

My surgery date with Dr. Amstutz was 8/29/06. I had been in considerable pain for four years before the surgery, but thought it was do to spinal stenosis. I saw Dr. Amstutz after Kaiser diagnosed my right hip to be bone on bone osteoarthritis and would need a replacement and of course, to wait as long as possible. I met Calvin Jung , an Amstutz bilateral through a mutual friend and the hip resurfacing seemed the way to go.

I had a great experience with the surgery. Dr. Amstutz and this was, I might add, the first time I have had any surgery or been in a hospital other than to deliver my son in the hallway!

I had poor bone density and Amstutz was concerned their condition might be too soft to do the resurface. He said being a dancer for years, my bones were big and probably had good structural integrity. He found cysts on the femoral head, multiple femoral ones and the stem was cemented. The osteophytes anteriorly were removed about 1 cm and inferiorly and posteriorly about 6 or 7 mm. The femur was hard enough to resurface. I was admitted and had surgery on Tuesday and left Thursday morning.

I did aggressive rehab as soon as the doc RX a prescription for it. I saw him August 22 for my one year check up and I have 100% range of motion in the operated leg!!!!!He and I were both delighted. I had a spinal and light sedation, Verced and was awake for most of the surgery which I preferred to be. The surgery is a great thing and find a good doctor that you have trust in and an experienced one and get back your life.......dancing jazz again, yoga and tai chi

Thank you for letting me share my pics and story...
Karen McNulty