Hip Resurfacing at Texas Orthopedics Enables Patient to Climb Mt. Kilimanjaro
Austin, Texas (PRWEB) February 26, 2015 -- The hip resurfacing procedure at Texas Orthopedics has not only enabled local pastor and Central Texas resident John Short to resume his active lifestyle, it has improved his mobility so much, he has set out to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest free-standing mountain in the world, in an effort to help stop human trafficking.
Starting in his late 20s, Short suffered from early onset degeneration. His condition gradually worsened and eventually his hip bones and sockets were bone on bone.
Then about five years ago, Short turned to Texas Orthopedics and learned about a technique called the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing Procedure.
Randall Schultz, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Texas Orthopedics explained, "With Birmingham hip resurfacing, we are placing a new surface on top of the ball that has lost the cartilage that previously coated it."
Unlike a total hip replacement where the ball is removed from the top of the thigh bone, hip resurfacing allows patients to preserve much of their own bone, leaving more healthy bone available in case a total hip replacement is necessary later in life.
"We're leaving their bone in place and putting a cap on the diseased, arthritic ball. So we preserve more of the patient’s bone,” Schultz said. “It’s an ideal procedure for the younger, active patient because traditional hip replacement surgery removes more bone making future revision surgery more difficult."
Hip resurfacing can sometimes be used in patients older than 60 years old whose bone quality is strong enough to support the implant, but Short was an ideal candidate for the procedure because of his age.
Well documented through independent clinical and laboratory studies, and with more than 10 years of clinical history, more than 125,000 Birmingham hip resurfacing implantations have been performed worldwide. Dr. Schultz was the first surgeon in Central Texas to perform the newer technique.
Since having the procedure done in 2010, Short, a pastor at Gateway Church, has moved on to bigger and better things. He is able to do all physical activity -- including running, hiking and cycling – again, and is putting his newfound health to good use.
At the end of February, he will climb Mt. Kilimanjaro – nearly 20,000 feet above sea level -- with 30 other people from around the world with Operation Mobilization: the Freedom Climb.
"It's representative of a woman, a girl or young lady to actually climb out of her situation," Short told KVUE-TV in a recent interview.
The goal of Operation Mobilization: the Freedom Climb is to raise awareness and funds for Operation Mobilization projects around the world that help transform the lives of women and children who are being exploited, enslaved and trafficked by breaking cultural cycles of oppression through education, skills training and basic support systems for women.
"Now I have an active lifestyle," Short told KVUE-TV. "I can do this, and because I have a heart to want to help those women across the world get out of their situation."
About Texas Orthopedics:
Texas Orthopedics is the largest provider of comprehensive musculoskeletal services in Central Texas, with specialized expertise and broad experience in the areas of general orthopedics, sports medicine, joint replacement, spine, foot, ankle, hand, shoulder, elbow surgery and non-operative spine and neck care. Texas Orthopedics has six locations in Northwest Austin, Central Austin, South Austin, Round Rock, Cedar Park and Marble Falls. For more information about Texas Orthopedics, visit http://www.txortho.com/.
Emily Schmitz, ESS Communications, http://www.esscommunications.com, +1 (512) 630-8068, [email protected]
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