Hear What Patients Have To Say / Patient Success Stories
Dr. Winfield S. Fisher, III

A doctor looking to restore his quality of life.

Restoring a patient's quality of life is a daily routine for Dr. Winfield S. Fisher, III, a neurosurgeon at the University of Alabama, Birmingham (UAB). Throughout his life, Dr. Fisher, an active 51-year old, has engaged in some form of physical fitness activity whether it was competitive wrestling in high school and college, training for marathons, or bicycling. A few years ago, Dr. Fisher started participating in the much "joint friendlier" sport of swimming, mainly because it felt better on his progressively aching hip.

Dr. Fisher first noticed his hip pain while training for a marathon nearly ten years ago. He felt a warm feeling in his hip joint after long training runs. But he ignored the pain because it would subside quickly and he could continue training without any discomfort.

Ten years later, Dr. Fisher could no longer run and making the 10-minute walk from his office to the hospital would become increasingly challenging, especially the flight of stairs that he took to get to his patients.

Dr. Fisher's family physician suggested that he get an X-ray of his right hip. "I had the X-ray taken but chose not to look at it. However, the radiologist made it clear that my hip looked like a 65 year old." Although it was difficult at times to get around the hospital to see his patients, Dr. Fisher ignored the pain and continued his intense workload.

But it was his additional knee pain that caused Dr. Fisher to visit Dr. John Cuckler, an orthopedic specialist at UAB. Expecting to have his knee examined, Dr. Fisher learned that it was his hip that was causing the pain in his lower thigh. Dr. Cuckler diagnosed him with osteoarthritis as a result of a slipped capital femoral epiphydimus (growth plate). It is believed that there was an injury to Dr. Fisher's upper thighbone during his growth stages as a child, and the injury resulted in the dysfunction and arthritis he experienced in his later years.

In an effort to ease the pain and to prolong the need for a hip replacement, Dr. Fisher decided to lose weight and to perform various strength exercises, which included a change in his normal exercise routine. Dr. Fisher started swimming and lifting weights instead of his usual high-impact activities like running. Despite all the lifestyle changes that Dr. Fisher made, the pain was still there.

It took Dr. Fisher two months to close his clinic in order to prepare for his hip replacement surgery. Dr. Fisher worked until the last few days before his hip surgery. During those two months before surgery, he saw his condition accelerate. "With every step I took, I could hear my hip making a grinding sound, and if you walked next to me and listened, you could hear a clicking or popping noise. Plus, I was beginning to feel I like I was a burden on my family and my patients. At 51, no thank you!"

So in May 2003, Dr. Fisher had his right hip replaced with an M2a-38™ Metal-on-Metal implant. Dr. Cuckler told him this was the optimal implant for his age and activity level because it was designed to last longer than other conventional implant materials such as polyethylene. Two days after surgery, Dr. Fisher went home.

For the next six weeks, Dr. Fisher used crutches to get around, yet he was avid about rapidly recovering. He did leg strengthening exercises twice a day, seven days a week, in addition to walking 45 minutes with his crutches around a median on the street where he lived. Dr. Cuckler advised him to switch to a cane when six weeks had passed. "I used the cane for two days after returning to work and found myself carrying it more than using it!" Dr. Fisher returned to his pool workouts not too long after.

Less than a year later, Dr. Fisher reflects on the days when it was once difficult to cross a street. "I can't imagine what my life would be like now if I wouldn't have had surgery. My quality of life has improved significantly." Expecting agonizing pain, he says "the pain I had from surgery just felt like a big bruise. I admit, I'm no superman, but anybody can do it. If you're relatively young like I am and need to have surgery, you're going to be able to handle it well. There's this misconception that when you have your hip replaced, you're going to feel this huge difference, but I tell people I feel ten years younger and don't notice a thing. Not only am I very thankful for Dr. Cuckler's skill and expertise, but my patient's are as well because I'm not limping around anymore."

This article is meant solely as a human interest story and is not meant to constitute medical advice.

While the patient in this story is a true joint replacement recipient, his results are not necessarily typical, indicative, or representative of all joint replacement patients. Joint replacements have been used successfully in achieving restored mobility to many patients. However, as with any implanted device, there are factors affecting performance which ultimately result in variable outcomes, including levels of mobility and pain. These factors include, but are not limited to, the patient’s pre and post-operative health conditions, weight, activity level, and adherence to instructions regarding the use of the affected joint. Due to these variables, it is not possible to predict specific results or patient satisfaction. For additional information regarding joint replacement, refer to the patient risk information located at the top of this page and talk to your orthopedic 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.

Where would you like to go next?

• Return to Patient Success Stories
• Find-a-Doctor Directory
• Request Additional Information
• Joint Replacement Home
• Main Patient Page