Patient Stories
Sutter Orthopaedic Institute
Janette
Jan Brangle, astride her sturdy black horse, Harley, guided him through various low impact rehabilitation moves for a ligament tear in his right hind leg. First was a walk, then a trot and last a lope. Per the veterinarian’s instructions for Harley’s rehab, Jan rode each pace for only minutes. Yet by the time she got to the lope, her own right hip screamed in pain. She had to stop and let her daughter, Kristi, finish putting Harley through his strides.
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Dave
For three years Dave suffered from osteoarthritis in both his knees. It is the most common type of arthritis which causes the cartilage in a joint to become stiff and lose its elasticity.
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Darlene – New Knee, New Life
For years, Darlene suffered with knee pain. "I had trouble walking, even short distances. I was almost always in pain," she says. "I am a polio survivor; one of my legs is weaker than the other. My good leg's knee started giving out on me in my fifties and it kept getting worse."
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Suzanne – Galloping Ahead After Double Hip Replacements
Brady’s hip problems began 10 years ago, when at the age of 38, the avid athlete found herself in too much pain to continue her favorite sport of running. She learned she was a candidate for hip replacement but since she was so young, she opted to wait a little longer.
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Justin – Back to Himself After Shoulder Surgery
Schoolteacher and family man Justin Prichard learned the hard way what happens when a shoulder injury gets out of hand. After 25 years of playing and coaching rugby, Prichard found that his shoulders had taken a severe beating.
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Michael – Regenerating a New Fingertip
While restoring his 1967 Mustang, Michael accidently pinched off the tip of his left ring finger when the tool he was using broke. "My finger got caught in between the coil spring and the broken spring compressor tool. Took the tip right off".
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Alan – Finally Finding a Doctor Who Could Help
"It's not right to see your 10-year-old walking like an old man. His pediatrician and an orthopedic doctor both chalked it up to something that would pass," Jill said. "We lived with it for a few years. But when it got worse, I demanded to be referred to an orthopedic pediatrician. That's how we met Dr. Rubin."
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Betty – New Knees Help With Recovery
Having knee replacement surgery on both knees has been a major determinant in Betty's recovery from a recent surgery to replace a defective heart valve. Arthritis created such crippling pain in both of Betty's knees that she was unable to get around her own house without the help of a walker.
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John – Off the BenchMark
When 60-year-old John was researching his second hip replacement surgery, he was sure of one thing: this time he wanted it done at Sutter. "When you have hip replacement you almost become part of a club,"" said John.
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Michele – Saying Yes to Life
Michele knows the first part of her story is one shared by countless women and men. She hopes that telling others about her journey will encourage them to follow suit and find the same happy ending—and new beginnings—she now enjoys.
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Brian – New Hip Joints Give Life Back to 38-Year-Old Father
Brian developed a serious case of gout on a business trip to Hawaii. "The pain was so intense I had to travel with a cane and couldn’t even lift my own bags," said Brian. "I had to stay incredibly focused just to get my bags to the car."
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Porfiria – The Right Moves
Porfiria had to hang up her beloved tango shoes after her left foot began to fail. She tried dancing through the pain but could not override the unbearable discomfort. Eventually she could barely walk.
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Lori – Back in the Game
"The minute I woke up in the hospital, my pain was gone," said Lori, who had been experiencing extreme hip pain from bone touching bone. The pain was so severe she couldn't sit or stand, let alone pursue her favorite pastime, golf.
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Ron – Back on the Bike
An avid cyclist, Ron grew concerned when he began experiencing pain in his groin about two years ago. "I thought it was a pulled muscle, but when my doctor took X-rays, my left hip was almost bone-on-bone," said the 60-year-old Applegate resident.
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Kelly – Grand Slam
Kelly is a die-hard softball player, the type who still hustles for the ball at age 46 and turns out year after year to play with the same team.
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