Joint Replacement – One Woman’s Inspiring Story
Joint Replacements: If you are considering a joint replacement you may also be wondering how a new joint affects your quality of life? Here is one woman’s inspiring story. Just to give you an idea of how beneficial joint replacements can be, here is a family story from Paul Jones, our Avala Director of Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation Services.
Paul’s mother had 2 hip replacement surgeries approximately 10 years ago. For those of you who don’t know Ms. Jones, she lives in the U.K. and resides in a 4th floor apartment with no elevator. This means she must go up and down the stairs a few times a day. Her apartment sits in a large city where it is easier to walk to the store or take a bus/train to get to the places she needs to go – thus having to utilize her joints even more on a daily basis.
Because Ms. Jones underwent her 2 hip replacement surgeries, at 80 years of age she is still able to climb up and down her apartment stairs, walk to the store, and live her life on her terms. None of which would be possible if she still had joint disease.
Something else happened Ms. Jones after her surgeries. She thought:
What can I do with this new lease on life after my joint replacement surgeries? What are the things I have not been able to do that I can do now? What are the things I have always wanted to do? What’s on my bucket list?
After asking herself these questions, Ms. Jones set out to make a bucket list of life ventures she wanted to experience and made sure she started checking off items on her list.
First, she went to the Galapagos Islands which, as a biologist, was a place she had always wanted to visit. She hiked a full day on the Inca Trail in Peru and visited Machu Pichu. She visited Greece, China, Morocco, and even lived in Africa for a few months – working in a hospital there. Even today, she regularly gets on a plane and does a grand tour of the USA to visit all her grandchildren and other relatives.
By saying yes to a joint replacement, it will not only return you to the routine things you enjoy and appreciate about life, but also will help open up the possibility of doing things you never thought you would be able to do or things you always dreamed of doing.
As we mentioned earlier, having a great physical therapist and center to guide you through a joint replacement process is critical to getting the most out of your new joint for many years and decades to come. Before you have surgery, make sure you have a relationship with your physical therapist to gain trust and begin some of the pre-habilitation exercises you will have to do to ensure a great outcome.
After surgery and rehab, it’s time to think about what you are going to do with the rest of your life.
In next week’s article on joint replacements, we will share information on the three main joint replacement procedures as well as go over some new technologies that have been developed to help better these procedures.
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Do you have questions about Avala Physical Therapy or one of its programs? Call and schedule a complimentary consultation with one of our Physical Therapist experts today at 985.801.6265.
Thanks for reading. I hope you found something useful in this week’s article. Check in next week for more tips and tricks on how to get healthy and stay that way.
Paul Jones, Director of Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation Services
Avala Physical Therapy