[November 18, 2008]

Joe Paterno expected to undergo hip surgery, but when . . .

Nov 18, 2008 (The Philadelphia Inquirer - McClatchy-Tribune News Service via COMTEX) --
Joe Paterno and two doctors agree that if Paterno has hip-replacement surgery the day after Saturday's regular-season finale, the Penn State football coach could recover in time for the Nittany Lions' likely Jan. 1 bowl game.

"I'm going to be back," Paterno said Tuesday during the weekly teleconference. "But how it's going to affect me? I don't have an MD after my name yet. Maybe when I retire I'll go back to medical school."

Two hip-replacement specialists, speaking in general medical terms, said Paterno likely would recover well.

"The surgery itself should go quite well," said David Nazarian of 3B Orthopaedics at the University of Pennsylvania. "It's just a matter of any medical problems that he might have. I don't really know his medical history, per se, but he seems like an essentially healthy man."

Paterno, who turns 82 next month, said last week that he likely would have the surgery on his right leg after No. 7 Penn State plays No. 17 Michigan State for the Big Ten championship and a spot in the Rose Bowl. He was evasive on Tuesday, saying a decision could come later this week or early next.

Nevertheless, Paterno needs the procedure, according to several people close to him. He's been in pain for more than two months, needs a cane to get around, and often requires help climbing steps.

"The hip is not a difficult thing for an 80-year-old man to return from," said Easwaran Balasubramanian, chief of orthopedic surgery at Northeastern Hospital. "Most people feel better even the first day after surgery."

Paterno delayed surgery because he did not want to be away from his team. He's been so focused on the season - and now the Spartans - that he said he hadn't even considered that Saturday could be his last game at Beaver Stadium.

"I have not even thought about any of that stuff," Paterno said. "I really haven't. I'm not trying to be cute. I'm not trying to be dishonest about it."

Paterno is in the final year of his contract. Discussions over his future with university president Graham Spanier and director of athletics Tim Curley have been tabled until after the season. He has hinted several times that he plans to return and that he would like to coach at least two more seasons. With the Lions 10-1, it's hard to imagine Paterno not returning if he so wishes.

The surgery and his recovery could determine his status, though.
There are 250,000 hip-replacement surgeries performed annually. The procedure, in which the ball and socket of the hip are replaced with metal substitutes, usually takes less than an hour.

"Complications are always there," Balasubramanian said. "Among them are infection and blood clots. But an infection occurs only 0.5 percent of the time. Blood clots are more common, but the significance isn't major."

The hospital stay is two to three days. Nazarian and Balasubramanian varied slightly in their recovery estimates, but the process is the same. Walking therapy begins almost immediately with a walker, then with a cane, and finally without support.

"He'll be on a walker for about three weeks and then a cane for a couple of weeks," Nazarian said.
That timetable would have Paterno still using a cane and working from the coaches' box Jan. 1. He's coached from the box for the last six games and will again Saturday.

Defensive end Aaron Maybin said he fully expects Paterno to be involved as the team prepares for a bowl game.

"I know for a fact that he's going to do everything in his power to make sure he's available and that he's there with us every step of the way," Maybin said.

Almost every step. Paterno has said that one of the game-day events he misses most is leading his team onto the field.

"There's a very good probability he'll be running through that tunnel next summer," Nazarian said.
Said Paterno: "I want to get back on the field. I expect to be back on the field."
Injury update. Paterno said defensive end Josh Gaines (sprained left ankle) probably will be available to play Saturday.

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