Dr. Josefina Monasterio is a local legend.
“I’m a life coach and I have a TV show,
Empowerment with Dr. Josefina
,” says the
competitive bodybuilder and native of Venezuela. “My job is to empower people
to reach their potential and realize their dreams and goals.”
Recently, however, Dr. Josefina experienced an unpleasant
impediment to her personal fitness goals: pain.
“Right after a bodybuilding competition, I started having
problems with my left hip all of a sudden,” she recalls. “It was excruciating.
I couldn’t walk!
“I thought I was going to have to spend the rest of my
life in bed.”
Then Dr. Josefina found out about
Birmingham Hip Resurfacing
(BHR), a bone-preserving procedure which
can alleviate current pain while leaving the door open for future hip
replacement. She visited Richard Steinfeld, MD, a Fellow of the American
Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
What
is BHR?
“Where there is a need to preserve the hip for as long as
possible,” says Dr. Steinfeld, “the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing method provides
optimum mobility and nearly complete preservation of the joint.”
The hip joint consists of a ball and socket, explains Dr.
Steinfeld. “Whereas in a hip replacement procedure we replace the joint with a
metal ball and plastic socket, with Birmingham Hip Resurfacing we simply
resurface the ball. It’s basically like putting a large metal cap on it.
“Most people think this a procedure for young people based
solely on chronological age, but current research suggests that people over
sixty can benefit from it,” adds the doctor. “Quality of the patient’s bone and
their overall health and activity levels are the determining factors. Because
Dr. Josefina is extremely fit and active, she was a candidate, and our ultimate
goal of getting her back to activities has led to her return to competitive
bodybuilding.”
Dr. Josefina is thrilled with the outcome.
“I am
ecstatic
,”
she emphasizes. “I’m in the gym again, and I just pressed two hundred and fifty
pounds this week. I’m back to normal.
“Dr. Steinfeld and his staff are excellent. My experience
was extremely awesome, phenomenal, and out of this world!”
Need New Knees?
As vice president of American Jets, Inc., air ambulance
pilot Capt. Gary L. Burdsall knows his way around an aircraft.
“I’m fifty-three, and I’ve been doing this professionally
for about twenty-five years,” he explains.
Unfortunately for Gary, chronic knee pain was slowing him
down, even on the job.
“I’m a long-distance cyclist and I started to develop some
uncontrollable swelling in my knees,” he says. “I was having a hard time just
getting in and out of an airplane, too. I could barely walk.”
Gary consulted David W. Griffin, MD, a Fellow of the
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, to have both knees scoped.
“Dr. Griffin did a bilateral arthroscopic procedure,”
recalls Gary, “and when Dr. Griffin came out, he said,
You’ve got the knees of an eighty-year-old. You’re eventually going to
need a knee replacement
.”
While Dr. Griffin and his associates generally offer
conservative measures before recommending a surgical procedure, it’s important
to know when surgical intervention is appropriate.
“Sometimes, people simply try to tolerate pain too long,”
observes Dr. Griffin. “They think they should just hold on indefinitely, and that’s
really not appropriate.”
Waiting too long can create problems with muscle weakness,
balance, and mobility, he cautions.
“It doesn’t help to not be active. Bones become softer,
muscles become weaker, and you lose range of motion. There comes a point where
there aren’t any other alternatives.
“Gary had severe arthritis in all three compartments of
the knee joint,” explains Dr. Griffin. “Even though he’s relatively young, he
was very incapacitated. He couldn’t do the things he wanted to do without pain,
like cycling.
“Total knee replacement has allowed him to return to cycling
and be more active without the pain. His quality of life has substantially
improved.”
In fact, says Gary, “The results of my bilateral knee
replacement have been phenomenal. I cycled over twenty miles the other day, and
I feel like a kid! It’s amazing.”
For those with knee problems, Gary has a recommendation: “If
you have a problem with your knee,” he suggests, “go to Dr. Griffin. He’s one
of the best surgeons I’ve ever had the opportunity to meet.”