Hip Replacement Surgery:
Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, July 8 and August 26, 2007
Show 415

"I've been playing baseball particularly for well, for many, many years. I'm a pitcher and so my right hip gets a lot of stress," says Rick Gordon. When it came time to replace his hip, Rick decided to undergo a minimally invasive replacement surgery. A traditional hip replacement would have meant a four to five day hospital stay and a long recovery process, but minimally invasive surgery allows patients to leave the hospital sooner and recover faster.

"With minimally invasive surgery, we don't cut any muscles, ligaments or tendons. We put the pieces in without disrupting any of the soft tissues. And what that allows it to do is it bleeds less, it hurts less, but most importantly, it functionally recovers, very, very rapidly," says Dr. Richard Berger.

"The whole thing is amazing. We came in here this morning. Rick's hip—he's in pain. He's limping. And this afternoon, I'm watching him walk down the hall. It's like a miracle," says Rick's wife Bonnie.

Rick says, "Once I'm fully recovered, I'm going to start to take long walks with my wife and our dog."