Hip replacement surgery gives skier new life

Watching J. Michael Schruth ski powder in Cy’s Glades at 49 Degrees North, you wouldn’t know he underwent a total hip replacement barely a year ago.

Schruth, 62, is a Spokane physical therapist on the leading edge of the baby boom generation. His return to the slopes is a textbook case for an increasing number of his active peers.

Surgery in January 2006 has allowed Schruth to emerge from years of pain and frustration. He started skiing again last December. It was my honor to share the first powder day of his recovery.

“After 11 months I was back on the slopes and I was amazed,” he said. “I was able to ski six hours without any trouble at all. The last time I skied before the surgery, after four runs I literally could not walk.”

Schruth has skied all his life. He’s always craved outdoor challenge and adventure. His ordeal started about eight years ago after a rollerblading crash.

“I injured my sacroiliac joint,” he said. “It was fixed but the problem came back because I didn’t do stabilizing exercises like I should have. Over time, the injury led to osteoarthritis in my hip.”

A smooth substance called articular cartilage coats the bones in your hip joint. Arthritis destroyed Schruth’s articular cartilage, exposing the underlying bones. Movement triggered intense pain.

“I found myself in a terrible situation where I was partially disabled,” he said. “After talking with other PTs and doctors, I decided to have a total hip replacement.”

Schruth chose Dr. Tim Lovell, an orthopedic surgeon affiliated with the Rockwood Clinic using advanced hardware and minimally invasive technique. His new hip is made of a ceramic material, second only to diamond in hardness and slippery. All the work was done through an incision about 4 inches long, which helped him recover faster.

“The doctor cuts the head of the femur off and reams out the socket,” Schruth said. “A titanium stem for the ceramic ball is ratcheted down the shaft of the femur, while the socket is resurfaced with a ceramic-lined titanium cup. Instead of using glue, the titanium surfaces are irregular and mottled so that new bone can grow around them to hold the prosthesis in place.”

A day after surgery, Schruth was out of bed and standing. Using a walker, he could put about 25 percent of his body weight on his new hip. After six weeks, he could walk with a cane and drive. Three months after surgery he was back in the gym, carefully exploring the strength training he could tolerate without pain.

A meaningful milestone occurred about five months out.

“On Father’s Day, I did a 40-mile bike ride with my daughter,” Schruth said. “We rode on Valley Chapel road to Rockford and back. I wasn’t able to ride all the hills and I had to get off and walk part of the way, but I’ll take it.”

Schruth continues to rebuild his strength and increase his workload at his South Hill physical therapy practice. About a month ago, he returned to spinning classes at the gym. He’s skied five times this season without pain. This summer he’ll go backpacking for the first time in five years.

“My quality of life was spiraling downward and I had to get it back,” Schruth said. “Active people in my situation should not be afraid of a total hip replacement, because it will return them to the activity they live for. You have to work hard to regain your strength. But it was easy for me, because I just kept the payoff in mind. Imagine keeping up with your friends when you go skiing and hiking, without hurting afterward.”

That’s something I won’t take for granted anymore.