Dartmouth-Hitchcock

Dorothy's Story

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Two surgeries, two approaches

Dorothy, a dental assistant, started having trouble with her hips about ten years ago. The pain on one side progressed over the years, so she had an X-ray. It was clear she needed a hip replacement. Many friends recommended Dartmouth-Hitchcock.

"I was very comfortable with the hospital," Dorothy said. "They were very thorough. That gave me a lot of confidence. The doctor was just amazing - he described the surgery and I could really sense, 'This is what this man does every day! There's nothing to it.'"

The surgery was successful and she had limited mobility for six weeks, as well as post-surgery pain medication.

Knowing her other hip would need to be replaced soon, she didn't wait until the pain became unbearable. She went back to Dr. Stephen Kantor, who had performed her previous surgery. He told her that the new anterior approach, in which the incision is on the front of the body, not the back, would be preferable in this case.

"The difference between the posterior and anterior were amazing," Dorothy said. "I had absolutely no pain after surgery. ... I never took a single pain medication, not even a Tylenol. It was amazing. I had no restrictions. I was walking hours after the surgery."