A Patient's Perspective Of Joint Camp

If you ask William Ransom of Sayre, PA, what motivated him to have hip replacement surgery, he'll tell you it was the desire to return to normal daily activities without constant pain.

Like many joint replacement patients, hereditary osteoarthritis in his hip joint caused limping and pain that restricted movement. "I found it difficult to go up and down stairs, get dressed, get in and out of the car, and work out at the gym," explains Ransom. "I also couldn't run the Boston Marathon anymore," he jokes. Although he had given up activities he enjoyed like ballroom dancing, it was the interruption of his day-to-day routine that was most bothersome.

When his orthopaedic surgeon, Robert E. Cohen, MD, explained that he was a candidate for hip replacement, Mr. Ransom decided not to wait. "I wanted to get it out of the way and get on with my life. I knew that Guthrie had an excellent reputation for joint replacement procedures. And the in-depth education prior to surgery and emphasis on pain management reassured me that I was in good hands."

His wife and Joint Camp coach, Sarah Ransom, is most impressed with the level of care her husband received. A physical therapist is available all day, not just during group rehab sessions, to be sure that exercises are performed correctly and to modify them when necessary. "Every attempt is made to prepare you and the patient to be able to manage at home. If your bed at home is lower than the one in your hospital room, the hospital bed is lowered so you will become accustomed to maneuvering in your home environment," notes Mrs. Ransom. "Accommodations were also available so that coaches could stay comfortably during Joint Camp. All the nice touches meant a lot to us."