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Hip Resurfacing Enables Runner to Continue Her Sport

Posted: June 1, 2007

Kathy Schmit is a wife, mother, an executive director of a non-profit organization, a runner – and a recent Columbia St. Mary’s patient for an innovative hip resurfacing procedure.

On most days, her role as a surgical patient slips her mind, particularly when she’s out enjoying a three-mile run. “It’s amazing. I’ve had no pain since the surgery. I feel wonderful,” she said of the active lifestyle that she has regained since her surgery last fall.

Kathy credits Columbia St. Mary’s surgeons and staff, the hospital’s Joint Camp program and her own determination for the positive outcome from her orthopaedic procedure – a procedure that offers patients an alternative to traditional total hip replacement surgery.

Kathy, 56, had been a dedicated runner for nearly three decades. Through years of training and running, and completing four marathons including the famed Boston Marathon, she had a runner’s mindset when it came to injuries. “They say runners are either tough, stubborn or in denial. I think I was all three,” she said of her reluctance to back off on running when she began to feel pain in her left hip during her workouts. That was five years ago.

As time went on, the pain worsened. “Toughing it out,” as Kathy put it, wasn’t working for her anymore. She went to see Dr. Richard Karr at Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Ozaukee Campus, who diagnosed arthritis in her left hip. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and told her to back off of running. Admittedly, she backed off “a bit.”

Convinced that a total hip replacement would finish her running life, Kathy resisted that type of surgery. “Running was a big part of my life. It was my exercise –– my meditation. I wasn’t prepared to give that up,” she said. But after four years of doing an end-run around her hip problem, Kathy was open to any solution. “By last summer the pain was so bad I couldn’t stand it. I walked with a noticeable limp and couldn’t sleep at night,” she said. “I told Dr. Karr I’d do anything.”

Understanding her passion for running, Dr. Karr recommended that she see Dr. Mike Anderson –– an orthopaedic surgeon at Columbia St. Mary’s who was specially trained in the latest technique of hip resurfacing. This technique gave Kathy the greatest chance to realize her goal to run again – pain free.

Dr. Anderson evaluated Kathy. He said she was a good candidate for the surgery because she was young, active, very motivated and had good bone density.

Kathy had done her research on the resurfacing technique and felt confident that the procedure was a good option. Although it still was surgery, the end of the femur bone would not be removed but reshaped and fitted with a metal cap, which fits into a metal lining in the pelvic bone. “It’s the metal-on-metal joint that gives you an advantage with fit and wear,” she said.

Her surgery was scheduled for October 17, 2006. But first, Kathy went to Columbia St. Mary’s Joint Camp. “Columbia St. Mary’s does a great job preparing you and managing your expectations about surgery, recovery and rehab,” she said. Joint Camp specifically addresses the needs and issues of joint replacement patients.

Kathy had surgery on Tuesday and went home on Thursday – a day ahead of schedule. Her pain was well managed and she was very motivated about her rehabilitation. “I can’t say enough about the Columbia St. Mary’s orthopaedic floor – incredible nursing care. They know exactly what to do,” she said.

In less than a week after surgery, with the aid of crutches, she was walking to the end of her driveway. By the end of the third week, she didn’t use them at all. “I healed really well and progressed exactly the way Dr. Anderson said I would,” she said.

Kathy started weight training in December to regain strength and balance. And around the first of the year she began a power-walking regimen. With a plan of a mid-April Arizona vacation with her husband Tom, Kathy adjusted her goal. The thought of running in the warm desert air was a powerful draw. “I went to see Dr. Anderson and he told me I could start jogging every other day,” she said.

Kathy power walks and gets out on her usual five-mile route three times a week, although now she walks the first and last miles while jogging the three miles in between – all without pain. Although she prefers to be outside, Kathy also works out on her elliptical machine.

Kathy is grateful that the doctors and staff at Columbia St. Mary’s understood how important it was for her to run again and to regain the level of activity she once enjoyed. She also understands the importance of listening to your body. “Scheduling days off from your workout routine is an important part of maintaining your physical fitness,” she said.

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