Hip Pain, Handled

Debbie Lorenz is a 63-year-old Fort Lauderdale resident who lifts weights and does Peloton workouts to keep healthy and strong. She loves being active, shooting hoops with her granddaughters, traveling and taking long walks with her husband in the neighborhood.

Then, Debbie began noticing chronic hip and back pain that grew progressively worse.

At first, she resisted the idea of a hip replacement because she didn’t feel that she was at the age or stage for the surgery. But as time passed, her pain progressed and prevented her from enjoying activities she loves.

Debbie had a cortisone injection in December 2025, but the results didn’t last.

“I was having a lot of discomfort going for a walk or doing any kind of weight training,” said Debbie. “Then, when my husband and I took a European river cruise in the fall of 2025, I couldn’t do walking tours because of my hip. That was discouraging.”

As her pain worsened, even simple things became difficult. She couldn’t even bend over to tie her shoes. It was depressing and discouraging, and she knew she had to do something.

Her husband, who is an anesthesiologist who works at Broward Health Medical Center, recommended she see Ryan Werntz, D.O., an orthopedic surgeon with the Broward Health Physician Group.

“When I looked at Debbie’s imaging, it was pretty clear she had osteoarthritis, a condition that is defined as a loss of cartilage due to wear and tear,” said Dr. Werntz. “Hip replacement is a surgery in which we replace damaged or worn-out parts of the joint with implants to eliminate pain and allow patients to get back to normal life.”

“There are different approaches to hip replacement,” said Dr. Werntz. “I chose the anterior approach in which we can spread the muscle instead of cutting muscle or tendon. I also utilize robotic technology that allows me to customize the positioning of the implants for the patient’s individual anatomy to execute a more accurate surgery.”

After Debbie coordinated time off with her husband, she scheduled her surgery at Broward Health Medical Center for late May 2026.

“It was a great experience from pre-op to post-op,” said Debbie. “I didn’t have to stay overnight and was released the same day. I was given a walker that I used when I got home to get out of the car and for the remainder of the day. I didn’t use the walker after that and tried to be as independent as I could.”

Debbie started physical therapy before her surgery and returned to it two weeks afterward, continuing for four weeks.

Today, she feels great and is looking forward to another European river cruise with walking tours and other excursions pain free.

“I'm so glad I had the surgery,” said Debbie. “I’m back to walking and working out and doing everything I did before. It’s liberating.”

To learn more about orthopedic care visit BrowardHealth.org/Orthopedics.