“I was experiencing pain in my inner thigh. I thought I had just pulled a muscle, but it wasn’t getting any better,” Ditto said. “An X-ray confirmed my hip was ‘worn out.’”

 

With a diagnosis of osteoarthritis, Ditto, an active 58-year-old with a busy optometry practice, persevered to find a treatment that would allow him to continue to play sports and participate in other activities he loved. 

 

Ditto visited two surgeons near his hometown of Nicholasville, Ky., who advised him to give up sports. But Ditto wasn’t ready to accept that. Finally, he traveled to Louisville to meet with Jonathan Yerasimides, M.D., one of few orthopaedic surgeons in the country who performs interior-approach hip resurfacing.

 

“Hip resurfacing involves placing a metal cap over the femoral head (the end of the thigh bone) instead of replacing the femoral head, as in total hip replacement surgery,” Dr. Yerasimides said. “It preserves more of the femoral bone, and has a low dislocation and wear rate.”

 

After hip resurfacing, many patients have a more natural gait and faster walking rate compared to those who have hip replacement. Best of all, patients have no restrictions and are allowed to return to normal activities, including sports. 

 

“When Dr. Yerasimides told me about hip resurfacing, I was sold,” Ditto said.

 

“While many surgeons perform hip resurfacing, only a handful in the United States perform it through the anterior approach, which offers the advantage of less soft tissue and muscle being cut and a smaller incision,” Dr. Yerasimides said. “I am a firm believer in preservation of the soft tissue and muscle envelope around the hip.”

 

Anterior-approach hip resurfacing is performed with the assistance of X-rays in the operating room. This ensures the cap is centered precisely on the femur and the cup is positioned correctly in the pelvis. The longevity and success of hip resurfacing has been shown to be directly related to implant position, so this is a considerable advantage of performing the surgery through the anterior approach, according to Dr. Yerasimides.

 

With just a 5-inch incision compared to 12-16 inches in a total hip replacement, Ditto was up and walking the evening of his surgery and discharged from the hospital the next day; plus he didn’t need physical therapy.

 

“I used a crutch for three days and did the stretches and exercises Dr. Yerasimides told me to do,” Ditto said. “I was walking three miles in just weeks. In four months I was back playing basketball, mountain biking and hiking – and pain-free!”

 

Proving nothing was going to slow him down, just a year after surgery Ditto competed in basketball at the National Senior Games.