There were many days when Sue Coffman felt helpless as she watched her husband, Jim, struggle with chronic, disabling hip pain.<\/p>\n
She watched arthritis slow his steps until he could no longer enjoy his hobbies. It was time to make an appointment with an orthopedic specialist to see what could be done to stop the pain. <\/p>\n
Before he called Bone & Joint, Jim’s hip pain became so severe that even walking outside to feed and care for his Birmingham Roller acrobatic pigeons was nearly impossible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was pretty much sitting in a recliner and not walking much,\u201d said Jim. \u201cI was always limping and dragging my leg.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Bone & Joint\u2019s orthopedic surgeon, Eric Thiel, MD, situations like Jim’s are not uncommon. People wait until they can\u2019t stand the pain anymore before they ask for help.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many patients who live with constant pain, they almost forget what it\u2019s like to move without pain,\u201d said Dr. Thiel. \u201cThey come in when the pain pushes them to their limits.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDr. Thiel had Jim get up, walk, and move,\u201d said Sue. \u201cHe watched him. Then he rolled his chair over to Jim, looked him in the eye, and said, \u2018I can fix this.\u2019 We were so relieved. Finally, we had hope.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jim and Sue listened as Dr. Thiel explained the risks and benefits of hip replacement. Hip replacement surgery could eliminate most of Jim’s pain and give him the ability to move again. Dr. Thiel\u2019s straightforward and honest approach gave Jim the confidence he needed to schedule the surgery.<\/p>\n
\u201cMedicine is complex,\u201d said Dr. Thiel. \u201cIt\u2019s a different language. It\u2019s my job to interpret it and treat each patient like they are a member of my family. When you see someone suffering from arthritis in the joint and see how it limits their lives and then see that same person on the other side of treatment, it\u2019s extremely rewarding.”<\/p>\n
\u201cThey had me walking the afternoon after surgery,\u201d said Jim. \u201cI noticed right away, my pain was gone. It changed my life.<\/p>\n
Today, Jim and Sue describe their life as a little slice of heaven. They enjoy walking and enjoying the wildlife surrounding their home in Eagle River.<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve got my soulmate back,\u201d Sue said. \u201cAnd now, we can actually have a life again.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There were many days when Sue Coffman felt helpless as she watched her husband, Jim, struggle with chronic, disabling hip pain. She watched arthritis slow his steps until he could no longer enjoy his hobbies. It was time to make an appointment with an orthopedic specialist to see what could be done to stop the pain. Before he called Bone & Joint, Jim’s hip pain became so severe that even walking outside to feed and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"video","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15","post","type-post","status-publish","format-video","hentry","category-video","post_format-post-format-video"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n