How Robotics Cured Years of Torturous Pain, Giving Michael His Life Back
The Story of MICHAEL McCARTHER
As Michael McCarther moved a heavy couch, it slipped from his grip. He hurried to catch it before it crashed to the ground. As he did, a white-hot flame of fiery pain shot up his back. From that point on, everything was different in his life. As a result, sometimes he couldn’t move at all for up to 30 minutes. And he had to use a walking stick for years and was constantly hunched over afterward, even though he was still a relatively young man.
It all began 30 years before during a routine soccer game. After Michael made a simple slide tackle during his high school soccer game, he couldn’t move. His parents took him to a back specialist, but the diagnosis was very uncertain. After 10 months of physical therapy, the pain mostly disappeared, and Michael went on with his life.
One day 6 years later, Michael woke up and couldn’t move again from the same type of pain. An MRI showed a fracture, a herniated disc, and other problems in his lower back. His doctors recommended surgery, but they said he’d be on his back for a long time. So Michael decided to do more physical therapy. Luckily, the pain went away again.
He lived relatively pain-free for many years, until…
His couch-moving incident turned occasional pain into constant misery. His brother and primary care physician recommended he come to Summit for more answers and possible treatment. Michael appreciated Summit’s holistic approach. He was further encouraged by visiting Dr. Gary Edwards, who wasn’t too quick to diagnose but went above and beyond the normal call of duty to find the real cause of Michael’s issues.
For years, Michael thought he had a lower back or spine problem. Then they discovered the real source…
Dr. Gary Edwards decided to look in a few other places to find the real source of Michael’s intense pain. Sure enough, after additional X-rays and an MRI, Dr. Edwards discovered that it wasn’t Micahel’s lower back that was the problem. It was his hip. For 30 years, Michael thought it was his back. Finally, he had answers.
Michael was diagnosed with ostionacrosis and osteoarthritis of the hip. In short, his hip was effectively dead. It had no blood flow, and the hip socket was fracturing and getting worse.
Dr. Edwards shared Michael’s case with another of Summit’s excellent orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Todd Pitts, who specializes in joint replacement. They decided the best course of action was to perform a complete hip replacement using cutting-edge robotic technology. Dr. Pitts is a pioneer and renowned robotics surgeon. He assured Michael that the robotic instruments would help him have a much faster recovery due to their exactness and minimally invasive manner of operating.
Unfortunately, Michael had several issues with his insurance company leading up to his procedure. The Summit staff went the extra mile for him, working with his provider to ensure everything was in order quickly so the operation could take place and Michael could get the relief he craved.
Michael’s procedure went so well that he walked out of the hospital the day of the surgery. Within 2 weeks, he was walking without a walker. His physical therapist couldn’t believe how well Michael was healing, stating he’d never seen a patient bounce back so quickly from a total hip replacement.
“My wife keeps saying, ‘You’re back!’ over and over.”
Years of constant pain has a way of changing your personality. And Micahel was no exception. But now, Michael is back to his old self. He could never take the stairs before, but now never takes the elevator. He enjoys playing lacrosse with his daughter and has a full range of movement again. “You feel your personality come back. I see people all the time who didn’t know me before I walked with a cane. They can hardly believe the transformation. And I look 2 inches taller because I don’t have to hunch over anymore.”
Michael is so thankful to have his life back. “I could never have enough good things to say about the whole experience. Thank you to Dr. Gary Edwards, Dr. Todd Pitts, and the entire Summit staff for helping me get my life back. I feel like there’s nothing I can’t do!”
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