Bernard M. Diamond, M.D. - Hip Resurfacing

BERTHA S. - BIRMINGHAM HIP™ Resurfacing System Recipient

You can usually find Bertha outside gardening. A self proclaimed "country girl," she is happiest when she's working amongst her beautiful pink hibiscus and rosebushes.

At 70 years old, Bertha does it all. "I mean, I do everything. . .I have to trim ivy. I have to pull weeds. I have to prune the trees. I do everything!"

It takes a lot of hard work to maintain her 1.25 acre property up in the California hills, keeping it safe from not only the deer that wander down from Topenga State Park, but also the wildfires. Bertha enjoys doing it all herself.

Two years ago, Bertha's hip was in such pain that she couldn't even sit down. "There was no way I wanted to go through life like that."

A good friend told her about BIRMINGHAM HIP Resurfacing, and she was delighted to hear his successful recovery story. He was doing so well that Bertha didn't hesitate to talk to her surgeon about scheduling her own surgery.

"My recovery was very quick. The next day I wanted to go home, but they wouldn't let me!" After a four-day hospital stay, Bertha was home. She took it easy for one week and then had 4 sessions with a physical therapist which she felt were "No problem!"

Before she knew it, she was right back out in her garden

"I feel great. I turned 70 in April, and I'm going to fight it all the way!"

From the sound of it, Bertha is already winning.

COLEMAN K. - Total Knee Replacement Recipient

Coleman had successfully hiked Yosemite two times and on his third trip back, he just couldn't do it. Disappointed, he told his doctor that the pain in his right knee was now keeping from taking part in the hobby he loved most.

The results of his previous arthroscopic surgery didn't last. And managing the pain with injections was wearing thin. Still young at 65, Coleman said, "This just isn't working for me. I want to be able to do what I want to do when I want to do it."

His surgeon recommended a total knee replacement. Coleman was a little skeptical about the recovery time. He and his wife liked to travel, and they had a trip to Washington DC, New York City and Niagara Falls all scheduled less than two months after the proposed surgery date.

But his surgeon assured him he would be pleased with the results.

The surgery was three years ago on June 18. "And we were in New York City by the end of August!" Coleman exclaimed.

As part of his rehabilitation, Coleman's physical therapist had him ride a bicycle. "It felt so good when I finished the therapy that I bought my own bike. Now, I can bike 16 miles at a time."

He's also back on the trails, hiking 5 miles a week at Victory Trail Head near his home in West Hills, California. And, just recently, he had to move pretty fast to get away from a rattlesnake.

"It's hard for people to believe that I've had a knee replacement. Even two months after the surgery, friends would say 'you had it when? We hiked 5 miles this morning and I just thank God for leading me to the right people to have this surgery."