First diagnosed with arthritis in 1972, after tearing cartilage in her left knee, Priscilla Deas had been dealing with pain—from neck to foot—for 28 years. As her joints got weaker, her limp more pronounced, and her knuckles more swollen, she just kept moving—doing what she needed to for her family.
She was too busy taking care of her grandson, Devon, after school to address the pain that began in her groin and got so bad that just trying to walk brought her to tears. “My daughter tried to help me, but I had to do it myself,” says Priscilla. “I figured if you did it the wrong way it would hurt worse. I was crying every minute of the day.”
Then, suddenly, her left hip went “boom,” and wouldn’t let up. “I prayed for it to last while Devon needed me, and it did,” says Priscilla. “I had put myself on the back burner, but that hip hit me so hard, like a ton of bricks. I couldn’t take it anymore. I went to my doctor and said, ‘I’m ready!’”
Priscilla appreciates the Stryker Mobile Bearing Hip™ Replacement her surgeon used, which is built for more natural movement, with a new technology called anatomic dual mobility. Her surgery went so well, the 73-year-old got up the next day and “ditched the walker and cane within two months.”
She is also grateful for the physical and occupational therapists who worked with her in the hospital, at rehab and at home, to get her back to being independent as quickly as possible. “I didn’t know I could get up one day and not have arthritis pain in my hip,” says Priscilla. “I can do anything I want now—run around, shop, clean. Before, I couldn’t get out of a chair. I would push up and sit right back. Now I just sit up and I’m out.”
With nothing to hold her back, she walks, drives, Wii bowls—and even played basketball in rehab, running off with the ball when her physical therapist challenged her not to let her take it away. “Now, my daughter tells me, ‘Momma, you’ve got to slow down. I can’t keep up with you!’” says Priscilla.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done,” she adds. “I tell people who are hurting not to be afraid, to keep moving and to just do it. I found the right doctor and the right therapists, and they taught me everything I needed to know. I have no regrets. It’s been beautiful.”
Individual results may vary. Not all patients will have the same post-operative recovery and activity level. See your orthopaedic surgeon to discuss your own potential benefits and risks.
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