Robert Brown, a married father of three from Leeds, had suffered from osteoarthritis in his hips for some time, yet at 47 he felt he was too young to have hip replacement surgery. He was faced with a dilemma. Should he have surgery now or wait until the pain became intolerable?It all started around a year ago. He experienced pain in his groin, which worsened over time until it became a constant nagging pain he couldn’t ignore. Robert, a production works manager from Leeds, has a physically active job, which also involves a lot of travel. The pain was impacting all aspects of his life and he reached the point where he decided the time was right to do something about it.
“I had difficulty putting on my shoes and socks and the pain was stopping me from sleeping at night. Some days were really bad. I was walking more like a 70 year old, taking short steps’. It’s hard when you are only 47 and you cannot run around and be as active as you want to be, but it was a dilemma. Do you do something about it or do you wait until you lose your mobility?”
He was referred to Mr Martin Stone, consultant orthopaedic surgeon at Spire Leeds Hospital. Mr Stone said, “X-rays of Mr Brown’s hip showed bone against bone in the right hip joint. This is called ‘end stage osteoarthritis’ and is beyond the stage that painkillers, injection or physiotherapy can control the pain. By the time of his hip replacement he could only walk for short distances before being restricted by the pain.”
Robert had hip replacement surgery at Spire Leeds Hospital on the 3rd December 2015 using a spinal anaesthetic with mild sedation. During the surgery he also had an innovative pain control system fitted called PainKwell.* It delivers anaesthetic directly to the targeted area to reduce the pain for the next 48 hours following surgery.
Spire Leeds Hospital was the first private hospital in the UK to adopt the PainKwell technique, which involves a portable pump that sits inside a pyjama pocket, a regulator to control the flow rate and a fine plastic tube, which passes directly into the new hip joint.
“It’s the best painkiller I have ever experienced. I felt no pain at all in the days following surgery when I carried it around with me,” said Robert.
Mr Stone said, “Mr Brown was mobilised on the day of his operation. He was able to get out of bed unaided, shower, dress and go up and down the stairs.
The pump was removed two days later when Robert was discharged from hospital. He returned to work four weeks later and other than a slight ache, his hip felt great. Six weeks later he was completely pain free and walking without a stick and without any limp.
Mr Stone added, “I anticipate that within one year of surgery Mr Brown will have completely forgotten he has had a hip replacement. The new hip ball is made of ceramic. This is a very hard material resistant to scratches, which reduces the wear in his new joint. It should last him for over 15 years before it needs replacing again.”
Since the operation, Robert says his life has improved considerably. He is looking forward to recovering fully so that he can have a kick about with his 12-year-old son Oliver who plays football for Bradford City Academy. He also plans to have his other hip replaced later this year.
Robert added, “Four weeks after surgery I felt like I could do anything. I didn’t feel like I had, had an operation. I’m looking forward to getting the other hip done in October. I would recommend it to anyone between 45 and 50 to have it done if they need it. I would say to them, don’t wait to get on with your life.”
