204 Ark Road, Suite 105
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054
Telephone: (856) 235-7080
Fax (856) 273-0402
"Pain radiated from the base of my spine for years; I thought it was a back problem related to physical activity," says 52-year-old Greg Rudegeair of Willingboro. "Then, I learned the pain was caused by my hip."
His physician referred him to Gerald Hayken, MD, chief of orthopaedics at Virtua Memorial Hospital. As one of the few surgeons in the region who perform hip resurfacing, Dr. Hayken knew Rudegeair was a perfect candidate for hip resurfacing.
In this procedure, Dr. Hayken affixes a metal cap onto the head of the thigh bone and a metal cup into the hip socket. "While long-term studies on the lifespan of a resurfaced hip don't exist," says Dr. Hayken, "the benefit is that it preserves the thigh bone, which enables a smooth total hip replacement should it be necessary in the future."
If a patient with a total hip replacement needs a subsequent replacement because of wear and tear, a second surgery requires removal of the original artificial hip implant. That can damage the thigh bone that is connected to the implant, and cause the second hip replacement to be less successful than the first. "From the moment Dr. Hayken explained the procedure, I knew I was in the right hands," says Rudegeair. "I started walking the next day; I couldn't believe how good I felt."
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Larchmont Medical Center | 204 Ark Road, Suite 105 | Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054 | Tel: (856) 235-7080 | Fax (856) 273-0402