Back in the Saddle
Rider Retakes the Reins After Undergoing Hip Replacement Surgery

Horsing Around: Joan Miller is back riding regularly and also has resumed swimming following hip replacement surgery in April.

Beginning in 2001, arthritis in her left hip prevented Joan Miller from pursuing a lifelong passion — horseback riding. As the owner of a horse-breeding farm in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the active Warrenton, Va., resident, now 80, had to be content letting others exercise her horses. "For quite some time, I knew I would benefit from a hip replacement," she says. "But because I could manage to do everything except separate (my legs), I didn't opt for surgery."

But last winter, Miller, who swims three times a week, contracted pneumonia and couldn't exercise for a month. After recovering, she fractured her ankle. "With all that sitting around, I gained 15 pounds, and when I was finally able to move around, it exacerbated the hip pain," she recalls. "So although my health was again good, my quality of life certainly wasn't."
It was time for surgery.

Miller could have chosen a local surgeon, but she didn't want convenience to influence her selection. Instead, she sought recommendations from other women riders who have had hip replacements. "All the ones with good outcomes had been treated at the Anderson Orthopaedic Clinic," she says. "Even though it isn't readily accessible, that's where I wanted to go."

Miller consulted with Kevin Fricka, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon with a special interest in minimally invasive hip and knee joint replacement. But before Miller could have surgery, she needed medical clearance from her primary care physician. Although pronouncing her fit, he was less than encouraging. "When he told me, 'You're never going to ride again, Joan,' I replied, 'We'll see about that."'

Speedy Recovery

Miller underwent hip replacement surgery on a Wednesday morning in April at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital, home to the Inova Joint Replacement Center. By the afternoon, she was walking the hospital corridor. That Friday, she went home. At first, Miller used a walker, then, a cane. Soon she was going up and down stairs. "I still can't believe that from day one I didn't have any pain," she says. "You know how much it can hurt if you get just a paper cut."

Smaller-incision surgery with less muscle-cutting and tissue damage combined with the latest anesthesia and pain control techniques allow patients to recover more comfortably than before. "Early ambulation boosts a patient's confidence in a quicker recovery while decreasing the risk of complications," Dr. Fricka says. "There is nothing more satisfying than seeing a patient stand and walk the day of surgery."
Miller remembers asking Dr. Fricka if he was sure he inserted the implant. "I had seen a picture of it during my pre-op appointment," she says. "How could I not feel something so big?"

Staying Healthy

Along with teaching about the implant and hip replacement surgery, a comprehensive pre-operative exam focuses on pre-existing conditions, home healthcare, and in-home and outpatient physical therapy. "Previous blood clots and any medical conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, need to be evaluated and addressed," Dr. Fricka explains. "Optimizing the patient's health assures the surgeon, medical doctor and patient that those conditions will be treated appropriately before, during and after surgery."

In July, three months after surgery, Miller was, as she was determined to be, back in the saddle. In August, she was riding about half-an-hour a day, four times a week. She has also resumed swimming. "I feel so good that it's as if I have been reborn," Miller says. "I advise anyone of any age who is healthy enough to have the surgery to do so."

Dr. Fricka concurs. "There is no age limit for hip replacement surgery," he says."With today's techniques, the procedure is a safe and reliable method of reducing pain, improving mobility, retaining independence and returning to a more active lifestyle."

We're Golden
The Inova Joint Replacement Center at Inova Mount Vernon Hospital where Joan Miller received her hip replacement, has received The Joint Commission Gold Seal of Approval for the past four years as a center of excellence for hip and knee replacement. Learn more about the Center here.