The Joint Center
Patients
New Hip Mends Gym Owner's Body, Spirits
A gym owner, Vickie Harrington teaches others about fitness
It's good to be Vickie Harrington. Or so you'd think watching the vivacious 58-year-old preside over her Fremont gym in Seattle. Tan and fit in a pair of spandex shorts, Harrington's the very picture of robust health. In fact, watching her coax clients into shape at Sound Mind & Body, you'd think she was indomitable.
But inside, Harrington's joints were literally betraying her. Over the years, cartilage in her hips had worn away because of arthritis. The self-styled ex-Gidget, who grew up surfing and skiing and still follows an athlete's punishing regimen, had become discouraged and disheartened watching her formerly energetic lifestyle wither away. As husband Richard tells it, "We used to go skiing and stay a week. Now, after just an afternoon, she is exhausted."
According to William Barrett, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Valley Medical Center, the loss of cartilage in Harrington's debilitated left hip accelerated the friction in her joint. The crunch of bone against bone was responsible for chronic discomfort.
Dr. Barrett replaced the joint in Harrington's left hip in August; he used a minimally invasive procedure resulting in a smaller incision. Two days after the surgery, in fact, Harringon left the hospital. Within five she was back working—at the gym.
High Mountain Dreams Spur Cyclist's Recovery
Seattle lawyer Mickey Gendler
When airport security pulled Mickey Gendler from a long line several years ago the Seattle lawyer wasn't pleased. Gendler specializes in civil rights, and he felt his ire beginning to rise. But to his surprise, the official didn't treat Gendler harshly. In fact, he was very solicitous, gently moving him to the front of the crowd. There the 51-year-old found himself amid people with disabilities, including a blind woman and elderly in wheelchairs.
"It was definitely a moment of truth," Gendler recalls. "I thought I had been dealing stoically with my pain. But a complete stranger didn't see a strong man. He saw an invalid."
Gendler's arthritic hips had been bothering him for decades. He relished athletics, but on an ever more diminished scale. Even a switch to cycling didn't end his physical consequences, which after 2000 became utterly miserable. Sometimes he felt so bad he couldn't concentrate during meetings, or he woke up in the middle of the night.
Deciding to replace the most problematic hip—the left one—wasn't easy. Gendler plied the Internet but found materials of wildly uneven quality. His choice of Dr. William Barrett of Valley Medical Center resulted from others' advice and conversations with the surgeon himself. "I liked his confidence, energy, and experience. And he seemed willing to explore the best option for me."
"Patient's lifestyles differ, and we match the technology and tools to each individual," Dr. Barrett explains. "Mickey's situation suggested an uncemented mobile bearing using metal-on-metal bearings. This type of hip replacement would permit him the greatest range of movement."
In the days following the surgery in summer 2003, Gendler followed the physical therapy regimen religiously. "I understood that I had control over the pace of my recovery."
For as long as he could remember, Gendler wanted to take on the Pyrenees Mountains. He conquered them a mere 1 year after his surgery. "Sports Illustrated describes the Pyrenees as endless switchbacks up obscene gradients. I am pleased to say, from my personal experience, that's really true."