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Hip Pain

• Understanding Hip Pain
  
  
• Stryker Treatment Options
  
  
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• Real Stories from Hip Replacement Recipients
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Real Stories: Kelly's Hip

Sports Lover Doesn't Stop For Pain

Watch a video featuring Kelly and other joint replacement recipients

To say that Kelly Dyer loves sports is an understatement. She's played hockey with Team USA, semi-pro and even with a men's hockey team. So when hip pain started to interfere with her performance on the ice, it was especially disturbing for her. "I tried everything from holistic healers, to chiropractic care, to changing my diet, changing activities, and was really trying to do anything."

But then she realized that it was more than her sports that were being impacted by her pain. It was affecting her relationships with her family and friends as well. "Your ability to smile is decreased. My friends told me afterwards that, you know, they could just see constant pain on your face. My friends told me I walked like an 80 year old."

Perhaps because of her athletic involvement, more than most, Kelly realized how your mental, physical and psychological states are all intertwined. And this realization is what helped her make her decision to have her hip replaced. "I think one of the big indicators in dealing with pain is lack of sleep. Once your sleep gets interrupted, it's like a domino effect and everything else gets thrown off. Your mood is altered. Your focus on your activities, whether it's sports related, or your job, or whatever. Everything just gets out of whack."

She was able to work closely with her doctor to come up with a viable solution to her problem: How to stay active but not have the pain. He seemed confident to have finally found the technology she needed to get her life back on track, "It turns out that new technology was approved for use in the United States during that time while I was trying the other surgery and trying other steps and that was the new Trident^® ceramic-on-ceramic hip. So, as timing will have it, it worked out to be in my advantage to have the newest and the best technology used for me."

Kelly is quick to extol the virtues of her new hip and displays the knowledge of someone who has done her homework and knows the human body inside and out. "You know, the benefit of the ceramic on ceramic is longevity."

Kelly is also a realist who understood the virtues of physical therapy. As an athlete she didn't just talk the talk but did her exercises right from the start. "I'm a big believer in physical therapy. I started the physical therapy process prior to surgery so I'd have the greatest range of motion, greatest flexibility, and to try to maximize the strength."

The benefits of surgery, the Stryker hip and physical therapy have been great for Kelly. Now that she has her life back and has adjusted to her new hip, she's surprised she ever put up with the pain. "Like now, I'm like, it's hard to believe that I endured it for that long."

Today Kelly is well on the way to getting her life back. She's enjoying the simple activities of walking to the local arts festivals and just sight seeing. Things she wasn't able to do before the operation. To just take a walk and watch the sunset or go get a cup of coffee is a pleasure for her.

Kelly as always is very upbeat and positive about what's next. In the very near future she plans to progress back into biking. She's also able to ice skate for the first time in two and a half years.

Individual results may vary.

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