(Pictured) Steve Coons is back to his daily walks with his dog, Duke.
Hip pain and joint replacement surgery were pretty familiar to Steve Coons, even before his own hip started bothering him. He’d watched his father and his brother have hip replacement surgeries. So when Steve’s pain grew so unbearable it began to disrupt his daily activities and sleep, he knew it was time to talk to the doctor.
Steve met with William H. Bohn, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Olathe Health Johnson County Orthopedics and Sports Medicine – Olathe.
“The level of information I got at that first appointment was incredible,” Steve said. “Dr. Bohn was really thorough in answering my questions, setting my expectations and explaining how hip replacement could actually help not only my hip and leg pain, but also the back pain I’d begun having caused by a slight leg length discrepancy.”
Dr. Bohn recommended a total hip replacement for Steve, a surgical procedure that involves removing the damaged bone and cartilage from the hip joint and replacing them with prosthetic components.
“We recommend hip replacement for patients with pain that interferes with everyday activities or continues during rest, or stiffness that limits the ability to move the leg,” Dr. Bohn said. “With hip replacement surgery, our goal is to help the patient have a dramatic reduction in pain and significant improvement in participating in daily activities, like walking, swimming, golf, driving, biking and other low-impact sports.”
Retired from a career in project management, Steve drives a school bus during the school year, so he scheduled his surgery for late May 2019.
“I felt very prepared walking into surgery that day,” Steve said. “My wife and I attended the class for joint replacement patients at the hospital two weeks before, so we knew what to expect and how to have everything set up at home after surgery.”
The only unexpected thing about Steve’s experience came the night after his surgery, as he was recovering in a room at Olathe Medical Center (OMC).
“That was the night the tornadoes swept through the area, and we were under a tornado warning,” Steve remembered. “I was in the orthopedic wing, and the nurses were great in helping to get all of the patients to a safe area. They pushed the knee patients in wheelchairs, but I was able to walk with just a walker.”
The next day, Steve was able to go home. As part of his recovery, caregivers from home health and physical therapy visited his home over the next two weeks, which is part of the typical follow-up for hip replacement patients.
Three months after surgery, Steve is doing great and reports his leg pain and back pain are gone. He’s still working on regaining his flexibility and hopes to be able to return to running short distances in another three to six months. Steve is enjoying spending time on his boat with his grandchildren and taking pain-free walks with his dog, Duke.