New Hip Renews Quality of Life

Kris Hanson, a 65-year-old Fremont resident, began noticing pain in his hip when getting in and out of the car back in 2012. Six years later, the pain had increased and he went in for X-rays. At that time, he was told the damage to his hip was not severe, so he continued to manage the pain with ibuprofen. By 2021, his hip joint had deteriorated substantially which was clear from his agonizing pain, and the only viable option was hip replacement. But Kris’ busy business travel and tradeshow schedule prevented him from pursuing the surgery until October 2023, when he underwent a total hip replacement. Now, he’s pain-free, thrilled with the results, and wants to share his story with the community.

When faced with hip replacement, Kris trusted the advice of his primary care physician, Washington Township Medical Foundation Steven Curran, MD, who referred him to Sah Orthopaedic Associates at Washington Hospital’s Institute for Joint Restoration and Research (IJRR). “Dr. Curran told me this team was top notch and people come from all over the country to have their joint replacements done there.” Kris met with board-certified and fellowship-trained hip and knee specialist Bryant Bonner, MD, who was able to schedule the procedure after Kris’ next business trip, a couple months later.

Kris learned from Dr. Bonner that his left leg was slightly longer than the right leg, which led to premature degeneration of the left hip. Years of running, playing competitive softball, skiing, and riding a motorcycle had accelerated the pain and osteoarthritis. “Dr. Bonner answered all my questions, including why he chose to become an orthopedic surgeon and how many hip replacements he had performed,” said Kris. “My wife and I were impressed with his professionalism and confidence as well as the first-class IJRR facility, which felt like being in an upscale hotel.”

The surgery went well. Dr. Bonner used the minimally invasive anterior approach, a surgical technique that involves moving the muscles aside along their natural tissue planes without detaching any tendons. This is proven to result in less pain, faster recovery and more normal function after hip replacement. With the help of a walker, Kris walked out of the Washington Outpatient Surgery Center six hours after he arrived. His colleagues were amazed he only took three days off work and within five days, he didn’t need the walker anymore. Kris fully committed to his physical therapy regimen, which paid off. Two weeks later, he was walking around the block, going up and down the stairs, tapering pain medication and getting his life back. “Now, my wife and I are back to enjoying our walks around Quarry Lakes, enjoying our season ticket seats at the Giants games and playing with our 10 grandchildren,” Kris shared.

Kris is grateful to his family, friends and neighbors for their support during his recovery. He is also glad that he had hip replacement surgery when he did. “It worked out well, since I had just turned 65 and Medicare covered a large portion of the procedure. Also, Dr. Bonner explained to me that there have been a great number of advancements in surgical techniques, anesthesia management and prosthetics in recent years, which I benefitted from.”

Kris’ advice to others in his situation is, “Don’t go online and read misinformation about hip replacements, go to an experienced professional, like Dr. Bonner. I couldn’t believe surgeons like him and the IJRR were right here in my area.”

If you or someone you know suffers from hip pain, view a live, online seminar presented by Dr. Bonner this Thursday, June 6 at 3 p.m. titled, “Updated Treatment for Hip Pain and Arthritis.” Dr. Bonner will cover the causes of hip pain, methods for diagnosing hip conditions, and the latest treatments. He will also discuss when hip replacement becomes necessary and share new advancements that have helped facilitate outpatient hip replacement, allowing patients like Kris to go home a few hours after surgery. To watch Dr. Bonner’s presentation on Facebook, sign in to your account, then go to Facebook.com/WashingtonHosp. Or you can watch it without an account at YouTube.com/whhsInHealth. If you cannot watch it live, the seminar will be available beginning the next day on YouTube.

To learn more about Dr. Bonner or the Institute for Joint Restoration and Research at Washington Hospital, go to whhs.com/IJRR