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Phoenix-area Resident Michael Ferrara's New Hip Supports More than His Own WeightMichael Ferrara is not used to sitting still. After graduating from Harvard Business School with an MBA, he has been running businesses for 54 years, and since the early 2000s, has led three different global manufacturing companies as CEO. He leads by example, and prides himself on his "roll up his sleeves and get dirty" attitude toward both work and life in general. For more than 20 years, his wife Sylvia has always been by his side. Five years ago he developed degenerative arthritis in his left hip, but he was content to live with it and not let the gnawing discomfort slow him down. Michael is not a believer in taking medication, so despite the constant pain of "bone on bone" in his hip, he just threw himself at his work, and dealt with the pain by taking an occasional ibuprofen tablet for relief. This year, he finally reached the point at which he could no longer deal with the day-to-day agony, so he researched more than twenty surgeons and eventually decided on Dr. Judd Cummings, an orthopedic surgeon at Honor Health Shea and Thompson Peak campuses, to perform his total hip replacement. Dr. Cummings, who performs knee and hip replacements in the Scottsdale area each year,is a firm believer in getting people back on their feet as quickly as possible. "As a whole, Phoenicians are pretty active. They like to be outdoors, and naturally, they have very high expectations when it comes to their knee and hip health. They want to remain hiking and doing all of those sorts of things later in their life, and I want to make sure they are able to do those things," he said. Michael was considering surgery when things got complicated. Sylvia suffered a debilitating heart attack and subsequent stroke, and required a great deal of attention herself. "As John Lennon said, life happens when you are making other plans," said Michael. So, despite Sylvia's convalescence, Michael went through with his hip replacement, thinking that he was going to need to get his hip "fixed" so he could better take care of her. Dr. Cummings, who is on the forefront of joint replacement technology, performed Michael's total hip replacement using the MicroPort SuperPath® Hip Technique that is only done by a handful of surgeons around the country. Using this approach, Dr. Cummings explained to Michael that he could expect a faster recovery time and reduce the potential for hospital readmission by 45 percent. "Dr. Cummings performed the surgery the afternoon of March 13, and I was up and walking that same evening," said Michael. "I immediately felt the difference. My hip was sore from the surgery, but there was no pain when I walked. It was life changing, and Dr. Cummings is a pro's pro." The results of the surgery have been dramatic. Michael immediately began physical therapy, and within a few weeks had shed his cane. He's able to exercise and play tennis once again, and traveling for work can be done without the difficulties of having to wait for a wheelchair service at the airplane runway. But naturally, Michael is relieved that because of his regained range of motion, he's fully able to manage Sylvia's recovery. "I'm back to being the active, passionate guy I was ten years ago. I have no limitations, I sleep better, I work better, I exercise better, and most importantly, I can do all I need to do to take care of my wife. This surgery has reopened my life for me."
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171214005124/en/ |
