Stephen Schwartz
Hip, Hip, Hooray!
Before his first surgery on his left hip, Schwartz could barely walk. He says getting in and out of bed was excruciating. After months of living in pain, he went to see Adam J. Lipman, M.D., an Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine doctor.
After Dr. Lipman performed a physical examination, X-rays and other tests, he diagnosed Schwartz with osteoarthritis of the hip. Based on Schwartz’s disease state and pain level, Dr. Lipman recommended a total hip replacement.Schwartz Patien
“Stephen was a good candidate for an anterior total hip replacement, a procedure in which we use minimally invasive techniques and a muscle-sparing approach to perform the surgery accurately and with rapid recovery,” Dr. Lipman said. “With this technique, we use live, x-ray imaging to precisely prepare the hip socket and position the implant.”
Hospital stays after hip replacement can vary depending on a number of factors, but Schwartz said he was thrilled to be able to walk out of the hospital on the same day as his surgery.
“It was an unbelievably fantastic experience. Dr. Lipman did an exceptional job, and everyone at the hospital was so professional and caring,” Schwartz said.
Once home, he couldn’t believe how fast he recovered and how quickly he was walking unassisted.
“For months after my first surgery, I felt like a million bucks. Then, I started feeling pain on my other side,” Schwartz said.
It was the same, familiar pain he remembered in his left hip, only now on his right side. He went back to Dr. Lipman who confirmed he needed a second hip replacement. Knowing how smooth his first procedure and recovery went, he wanted the second surgery as soon as possible.
Ten months after his first procedure, he had his second hip replaced. Once again, he describes excellent treatment at the hospital and a same-day discharge.
“Everyone I interacted with treated me wonderfully,” he said. “Out of all those people, there wasn’t one exception.”
Two months after his second surgery, Schwartz reports that he is doing great, enjoying walking, swimming and spending time with his family. He is even thinking about giving golf a shot again.
He is grateful to be pain-free once again and for the support of his amazing family, including his three granddaughters. He also appreciated the people at Dr. Lipman’s office and Broward Health North who treated him so well during his surgical journey.
“If every hospital treated people the way Broward Health does, it would be a better world,” Schwartz concluded.
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