MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE BHR HIP PROCEDURE

I am a 60+ year –old male who has been athletically active all my life. I am a weekend warrior, and not very good at my chosen activities, but over many years I have enjoyed bicycling, rowing, weight lifting, and years ago a fair amount of handball and racquetball. All of these sports, along with inherited arthritis, ruined my right hip joint.

Most of us know people who have had the traditional hip replacement surgery, and have heard the horror stories of the long recuperation period afterwards. Knowing this, I went on the internet looking for alternatives. It was not in vain; I found what I was looking for.

There is a lot on the Internet about the BHR (Birmingham Hip Resurfacing), a new procedure for the United States, but with a ten year history overseas. I learned all I could about it, researched who the doctors are in the area that do it, and picked Dr. Raterman’s, of the Florida Medical Clinic. (He is also Chief of Staff at the University Community Hospital in Tampa).

I saw him as soon as I could, and he told me that I was a prime candidate for the BHR.

In December, 2006 the surgery was performed at the University Community Hospital, a short distance from Dr. Raterman’s office. The people at the hospital treated me like family instead of a patient, and on the second day after the surgery I went home with a walker. I was on the walker for 6 days, on a cane for 2 additional days, and decided on the 9th day to go without the cane (with the aid of painkillers, of course). Home Physical Therapy was also provided.

It is now 16 days post-surgery. As I write this, I have just come back from a 4 mile bicycle ride (no pain at all), have been driving my car since the 8th day after surgery, and if I had written a “wish list” for how I wanted all this to turn out, I would never have dared make the result this good. I still have exercises to do for a while, but I have about resumed my normal, active life.

Your mileage may vary, of course, but the BHR, in my opinion, is “miracle medicine”, and Dr. Raterman (who has done about 10% of all the BHR’s performed in the USA) leaves nothing to be desired in an orthopedic surgeon.

Dr. Raterman and staff, many thanks for my active life being restored to me.

Sincerely, Paul L, Crystal Beach, FL

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