Like many busy professionals, Lisa Agostino attempted to work through the increasing pain in her hip that continued to slow her down.
The 51-year-old chalked up the pain to stress and a big project requiring a move at work. She thought the pain, which would sometimes get a little better only to return a day or two later with more intensity, might be coming from her back.
When the pain was finally too much to ignore, as it was impacting her daily activities and her ability to travel to different locations for work, she saw Shaheen Jadidi, DO, an Endeavor Health sports medicine specialist, had X-rays and a steroid injection.
The injection improved her mobility and pain, but only for a few weeks. She did physical therapy for a few months, but ultimately the pain was more than she could handle and new X-rays revealed further deterioration in her hip.
Conservative options exhausted
Surgery was clearly the only option at this point and Agostino knew that Endeavor Health orthopaedic surgeon Mohammed Ahmed, MD, was the right choice for her.
“I met Dr. Ahmed and was confident with him right from the beginning,” said Agostino. “He spent time reviewing my X-rays, explaining the surgery and addressed all my questions and concerns.”
Dr. Ahmed also confirmed that she was a good candidate for a same-day discharge, which was an important factor for Agostino who felt she would be more comfortable healing in her own environment.
On surgery day, Dr. Ahmed replaced Agostino’s hip using a newer anterior approach, where a more minimal incision is made on the side of the hip to access and replace the ball element of the ball and socket joint. Experienced surgeons like Dr. Ahmed are able to cut between the muscles, rather than through muscle tissue, allowing for a much faster recovery and a more stable new joint.
“Most patients are able to get back to their regular activities much quicker with this technique,” said Dr. Ahmed. “And the technology has improved so much and the implants are so good that they should last more than 20 years, and maybe much longer.”
Immediate pain relief
“My post-operative pain was nowhere near what I had before surgery,” said Agostino who has huge praise for Dr. Ahmed, his entire team and the physical therapists who helped her rehab at home. “I did not anticipate how quickly I’d be up and moving around.”
As a practice operations manager for orthopaedics at Endeavor Health, Agostino was already familiar with the team’s reputation for excellence, but said she was still thrilled that her own experience went so smoothly.
Dr. Ahmed called Agostino a model patient who was diligent with her rehabilitation, learning proper mechanics and building her strength with regular exercises. She was back to work just three weeks after her procedure and thrilled with her mobility and quality of life.
At five months post-surgery, Agostino is back to doing just about everything she wants. She’s looking forward to a return to wearing heels, her normally busy life and a more active summer, including time on her boat, which was more than a little challenging last summer.
“I should have done it sooner,” added Agostino.
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