Back to home Sept. 2012
Orthopedics
New Hip Replaces Old Pain for Local Football Coach
A local high school football coach, 54-year-old Richard
Maresco has spent the majority of his life around sports.
Growing up, he played football and baseball. Six years ago,
while living on the east coast of Florida, Richard began
experiencing pain in his right hip.
"What I thought was just wear and tear turned out to be arthritis," he says. "I tried physical therapy and kept working out, but the pain persisted."
After moving to Fort Myers, Richard decided that he'd had enough of the pain and made an appointment with orthopedic surgeon, George Markovich, M.D.
"At this point, I pretty much knew I was going to pursue surgery," Richard says. "Dr. Markovich confirmed it, and I decided to go ahead with the hip replacement." Hip replacement surgery involves removing a diseased joint and replacing it with an artificial joint that consists of a ball component and a socket.
"Along with rehab, hip replacement can alleviate pain and help restore range of motion and function," Dr. Markovich explains. "Richard enjoys a very active life, so hip replacement was a good option for him to help relieve the pain and allow him to continue to participate in exercise and sports. Additionally, with hip replacement, we use a minimally invasive, muscle sparing surgical approach, which decreases postoperative pain and expedites recovery."
Richard's hip replacement surgery was on May 21.
"I woke up the next day and knew I'd made the right decision," he says. "There was obviously pain since I'd just gone through surgery, but the pain that I'd had for years was gone."
Physical therapy started while Richard was in the hospital, and continued three times per week for three weeks in his home.
"I'm really glad I had the surgery," Richard says. "It is awesome to be able to live pain-free."
“"I woke up the next day and knew I'd made the right decision," he says. "There was obviously pain since I'd just gone through surgery, but the pain that I'd had for years was gone.”
Lee Memorial Home Health has highly skilled therapists, nurses, home health aides and medical social workers who work in conjunction with orthopedic surgeons to develop individual care plans and treatment for patients following total joint surgery. The team works with patients to help them return to their active lifestyles. Lee Memorial Home Health specializes in home safety, patient and caregiver education, therapeutic exercise and gait training. For more information, call 239-418-2900.
Timing Equals Outcome in Hip Surgery
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Visit Lee Memorial Health System on Vimeo
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George Markovich, M.D.
Institute for Orthopaedic Surgery & Sports Medicine
8350 Riverwalk Park Blvd., Suite 1
Fort Myers, FL 33919
239-482-5399
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