John Cornish

John Cornish enjoys an active lifestyle, but that wasn't always the case. He remarks, "Well, just walking was painful. I had a hard time walking. We [me and my wife] used to do a lot of golfing when we were younger, but the arthritis got going and we quit that quite awhile ago. I hung in there with my antiquing until about four years ago. I could go once in awhile, but I'd get pretty tired because my leg, down the front, hurt."

Like millions of Americans with arthritis, John was suffering from pain, limited movement, and a decreasing quality of life. That's when John decided that it was time to have hip replacement surgery.

After surgery, John was surprised by how quickly he was walking on his new hip. He says, "They pretty much wanted you up and going, and I figured if that's what they wanted you to do then you must be able to do it. I was up walking on Tuesday. I was using a walker, but I was walking and the operation was on Monday."

John also had physical therapy in the hospital after his surgery. He remarks, "I do not like physical therapy, but I had a 50th wedding anniversary coming up and I was going to walk. So I did what they told me. You have to do the physical therapy with this kind of thing. If you don't, you're not going to get there."

Physical therapy is an important part of total hip replacement surgery. But John wanted to walk without assistance. He recalls, "They wanted me to go to a cane [after using the walker], but I couldn't keep time with it. The nurse just picked the cane up and told me to walk, and that's what I did."

Since his hip replacement surgery, John is once again enjoying his favorite activities. He says, "Well, I'm going to get back into the antique stores and look for some more airplanes because I can walk now. I have no pain whatsoever. I can do so many things that I couldn't do for a couple of years. And it's just like getting a new life again."

This article is meant solely as a human interest story and is not meant to constitute medical advice. Individual results may vary. Surgery involves potential risks and requires recovery time. The life of any joint replacement will depend on your age, weight, activity level, and other factors. Only an orthopedic surgeon can determine if surgery is right for you. For risks regarding joint replacement, visit www.biomet.com and talk to your orthopedic surgeon.

Not all patients are candidates for total hip replacement. Only your orthopedic surgeon can tell you if you are a candidate for joint replacement surgery and, if so, which implant is right for your specific needs. You should discuss your condition and treatment options with your surgeon.

The persons named in this article have consented to be named and have given Biomet, Inc. the exclusive right to use their personal and medical information for educational purposes.