Robotics bring Henry County resident to Reid Orthopedics
Denise Randolph knew she needed a hip replacement. She knew she wanted robotics used in the surgery. And she knew just where she needed to go to have that technology available.
"They don't do robotics in New Castle or in Muncie," the Henry County resident said. "I 100 percent wanted to use robotics, so that's why I chose Reid."
The retired special education teacher chose Reid Health Orthopedics & Spine for her care after attending a presentation by orthopedic surgeon Joel McClurg, M.D., Ph.D., FAAOS, in New Castle. McClurg has been doing robotic hip and knee procedures for more than eight years.
Randolph had been dealing with problems in her hips -- the left one in particular -- for about three years. A few months before the presentation, an X-ray showed the cartilage in her hips was gone.
Having not had surgery since she was 6 years old, Randolph was nervous about not just one, but two hip replacements. But if it had to be done, she wanted the precision of a robotics-aided procedure.
"I just thought I would go to the dinner and presentation to really make sure that's what I wanted," Randolph said. "I was really quite impressed with Dr. McClurg and the experience he has with the technology."
"They don't do robotics in New Castle or in Muncie. I 100 percent wanted to use robotics, so that's why I chose Reid." -- Denise Randolph
Even still, it took some time before she got up the nerve to schedule an initial appointment. Randolph wanted to put off the surgery itself until after the school year so she could continue to serve as a kindergarten classroom assistant.
"The morning of the surgery, Dr. McClurg popped in wide-eyed and bushy-tailed," Randolph said. "It was a team effort. They really had me prepared and ready to go."
After a hospital stay of less than a day and a half, Randolph was back home. In-home therapy began the next week.
"It's getting better every day," she said. "I've done these exercises since before the surgery, and I still do them twice a day. I let the walker go about two weeks after the surgery, and I'm even walking a little bit without the cane a week after that."
The second hip replacement is still to come. Randolph is planning that one around the school calendar as well, but she doesn't want to go too long before having it done.
"I'm 66, and I don't want to put it off," she said. "I'm active, and I want to stay active. Let's get it done."
In the meantime, Randolph has nothing but praise for the care she has received from Dr. McClurg and the rest of the Reid Orthopedics team.
"The experience has been excellent. I've been really impressed," she said. "If I have a question and I call, they give me an answer right then. I don't have any complaints at all."