Local veterinarian, Marcus Martin, DVM, shared his journey from extreme pain to a return to the activities he loves following two anterior hip replacement procedures performed by Jason Heisler, MD, Orthopedic Trauma Surgeon, Ortho NorthEast.
“Prior to having hip problems, I was a very active person,” Dr. Martin said. “Once the pain started, that changed things dramatically.
“I remember, fall 2019 is when I noticed something completely different. The pain was relentless. It was constant. When you get into your 40s, you become accustomed to bumps, bruises, pains, aches, things like that. But I couldn't pull my knee to my chest anymore to stretch. And I could really feel a pretty strong pain in my groin that just wouldn't quit. I had to stand up because standing was more comfortable than sitting.”
As a veterinarian, Dr. Martin went into his office after hours, and took an x-ray of himself. “I looked at it and I could tell that my hip didn't look good and that's when I made the appointment for my evaluation.”
Creating a care plan
Dr. Martin went to the Parkview Ortho Hospital. “Dr. Heiser came in and I remember he said, ‘Your hip shot. By the way, your other hip is shot, too.’”
“When we were looking at Marcus, we knew that he had x-ray changes or radiographic findings consistent with severe arthritis,” Dr. Heisler said. “He's young, and did try everything short of hip replacement. He got to the point where he really couldn't take it anymore. We talked about all the options and he thought about what was best for him.”
Dr. Martin arrived at Dr. Heisler’s recommendation of an anterior hip replacement. The anterior method, “is a great alternative to traditional posterior hip replacement,” Dr. Heisler said. “We go between the muscles and don't actually detach anything. We leave all the primary restraints to hip dislocation in place. I like to say it’s a muscle-sparing approach.”
Proof is in the results
“The day of surgery, I was actually pretty excited because I knew there was relief around the corner,” Dr. Martin said. He had his first hip replacement on November 17, 2021, and I his second, on the other hip, on April 22, 2024.
Dr. Martin was quick to have the second surgery, before the pain got too far. “I knew how the surgery was going to go. I knew how it would change my life,” Dr. Martin said.
His results were positive and a perfect solution for his complaints. “The hip replacement portion of my practice is very rewarding, because you have people come in, who are truly suffering for a long period of time, and they get better so quickly and they get back to work,” Dr. Heisler said. “It's a blessing to have that opportunity to do for people.”
Dr. Martin, who has a very active job that requires him to get down on the ground with animals, lift them and move them, followed Dr. Heisler’s guidance for recovery. “Dr. Heisler told me that nearly every one of his patients will tell him at the one-year mark that they forgot they had a hip replacement. I took three weeks off of work.” This was plenty of time for Dr. Martin to feel ready to return.
As for his time outside of the office … “I was at the point where I couldn't throw my leg over a bicycle seat. I can do that. I jump off things. It functions just like the original hip. I'm pretty much back to 100%. You don't think twice about doing anything.”
When asked if he had anything else he wanted to share, Dr. Martin said, “I just want to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Heisler. Start to finish, the surgical staff, all the way through to the physical and occupational therapists, the entire staff at Parkview did a great job. Thank you.”
To schedule orthopedic care in Allen County, call Ortho NorthEast at 260-484-8551 or request an appointment here, or visit this page to find orthopedic care outside of Allen County.
