Preparing for surgery can reduce recovery time

Mark Liebergal, a 65-year-old Millerton resident, knew that his hip problems had reached a critical point when he could no longer walk up a curb on a sidewalk without stepping sideways.

He’d had increasing problems with mobility over the years as his hips had deteriorated. He couldn’t swing his leg over a saddle and ride horseback. He could no longer clamber onto a bicycle. His back, his legs, his hips hurt so much — the pain even kept him from ice skating, a particularly favorite activity.

With some reluctance and trepidation, he accepted the reality: He was going to have to have his hips replaced.

But first he was going to do some research.

One of the first discoveries he made was that there’s a new procedure available, called anterior total hip replacement. Unlike the traditional surgery, the recovery time is minimal.

“That was essential to me,� he said in a recent conversation about his operation. “I knew I would never be able to follow the guidelines for normal hip surgery recovery. I’m too active. My wife and I agreed that if I had the normal surgery, I’d be back in the hospital every few weeks getting my hips reset.�

He found Dr. Corey Burak, a surgeon in Hawthorne, N.Y., who was experienced in this surgical technique. He had the work done Oct. 14.

“By the next day, I was up and walking around, with the aid of a walker, in the hospital,� Liebergal recalled. “There was no pain. Zero.�

By Oct. 17 he was walking without assistance, and by Oct. 19 he was driving a car (with his doctor’s permission). Before Thanksgiving, he was back turning graceful circles at the ice rink at The Hotchkiss School in Lakeville.

Part of the credit for his quick and total recovery goes to the surgeon and the surgery, Liebergal said.

“Unlike traditional hip replacement, no muscles or tendons are cut; they’re pulled to the side. And there’s much less blood loss.�

He cautioned that not all patients recover as quickly as he did, however. Liebergal had also done a great deal of research ahead of time, and discovered that preparation before surgery is almost as important as rehabilitation is afterward.

He tried some other holistic treatments. He did a “total system cleanseâ€� for two months before surgery,  eating a restricted diet; he had craniosacral massage, “to prepare my body for the trauma of surgery.â€� He had post-operative acupuncture (by the staff acupuncturist at Phelps Memorial Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y., where he had his operation), which he believes made an enormous difference in his ability to rebound so effectively. But perhaps the essential element in the mix was a regimen of pre-surgery stretches and exercises.

Next week, this page will feature an article from  Leonard Pratt, Registered Physical Therapist and head of outpatient physical therapy at Noble Horizons in Salisbury. Pratt will talk about the importance of, and ideas for, preparation for major surgery.