Werner Sichel
"Getting My Hip Replaced Was a Piece of Cake"
Werner Sichel, retired economics professor and resident of Boca Raton, is no stranger to having an active lifestyle. After years of physical activity his right hip was causing him pain, leading to a traditional hip replacement surgery in 2016. When he needed a second hip replacement, Werner came to Broward Health North after he learned the Joint Replacement Center was using a minimally invasive option to hip replacement surgery called the anterior approach.
The anterior approach allows the surgeon to reach the hip joint from the front as opposed to the lateral (side) or posterior (back) of the hip. The hip is therefore replaced without the detachment of muscle or the femur bone during surgery. The anterior approach avoids cutting major muscles and is designed to result in less pain and a faster recovery.
"When I found out I needed a second hip replacement, I didn't want to go through the rehab and recovery I had to endure during my first surgery," said Sichel. "With the anterior approach, I certainly didn't have to. I required no rehab prior to surgery and I was up walking and bending my hip right after surgery. If I had known about the anterior approach previously, I would have used it with my first hip replacement."
Six weeks post-surgery Werner is back to his active lifestyle, walking and working out in the gym almost daily. This would not have been possible with traditional hip replacement surgery, which requires six to eight weeks of limited hip motion. The anterior approach allows patients to move the hip immediately following surgery and begin the rehabilitation process day of surgery.
"I am so thankful I had my second hip replaced using the anterior approach at Broward Health North," said Sichel. "I can now get back to what I love to do most, travel. I will be in Europe soon actively exploring new places without any limitations or pain thanks to my new hip."
At the Joint Replacement Center at Broward Health North, our goal is to get you back doing what you enjoy the most and as quickly as possible.
To learn more about Joint Replacement at Broward Health, click below.