Constructing Better Hips

With a career in construction since a young age, Jaime had long suffered from osteoarthritis in both hips. Working with a pain management physician helped, but a few years ago his options had narrowed to one: hip surgery. "I met with some surgeons in the area, but I just didn’t get that sense of trust I was looking for," he recalls. "They all told me they would only replace one hip at a time, with three months recovery after each. I have to provide for my family. I couldn’t be out for six months."

Eventually his search led to White Plains Hospital and orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jakub Tatka, whose specialties include hip replacement.

One Surgery, Two New Hips

"I was very lucky to find him," Jaime enthuses. "His confidence was very impressive as he carefully explained what he was going to do – including that that he could do both hips at the same time, which nobody else had offered."

Dr. Tatka is a proponent of the Depuy Anterior Approach to total hip replacement, a minimally invasive, muscle-sparing procedure that involves an incision of only three to four inches.

"The whole experience was amazing," Jaime says. "In a little over two hours, I had two new hips. An hour after surgery, the physical therapist had me walking the halls, and I went home the same day." Two more weeks of home rehab were essentially all that was needed, putting him not only back on job sites but again able to run around and play with his 2-year-old son without hesitation.

"My life has changed drastically for the better," he affirms. "I would recommend Dr. Tatka and the whole staff at White Plains Hospital, who all were terrific, to anybody."