“After the surgery I walked out several hours later. I did the prescribed rehab, strengthened the muscles that had atrophied in my legs, and started working out again…”

I have been a recreational basketball player most of my life, starting at age 10. When I was 45 years old, I started noticing pain in the area of my right hip. My family doctor correctly diagnosed the problem as arthritis in the hip and conveyed the message that it was pain that I would have to live with. I continued to play basketball, and the pain gradually got worse. By the time I was 55 I was taking four Aleve per day just to get through my daily routine.

When I reached age 57, I could no longer move without a great deal of pain. Playing basketball meant limping up and down the court and being able to do not much more than pass the ball. Walking up stairs was accomplished by pulling myself up using the railing. At that point I heard about Dr. Berger and the wonderful work that was being done at Rush. He said I was a good candidate for a total hip replacement. I walked out several hours after the surgery. I did the prescribed rehab, strengthened the muscles that had atrophied in my legs and started working out again.

Less than half a year later, I was back playing basketball at a competitive level that I had not experienced in 15 years. I am now 59 years old, still play basketball three times per week, and my new hip feels great. I take no pain medication of any type, and am so thankful that I can walk, run and jump again. Dr. Berger and his outstanding staff made it all possible.