On The Move

New joint replacement technique helps active woman land back on her feet, fast.

Amy Kriewaldt Hudson was 21, a classical musician living in New York City and walking everywhere. That’s when the pain started, and she knew right away that it was bad. “I had to drop my bags to rest a bit, in the middle of the sidewalk,” she says.

One doctor said she needed to stretch more. Another said it was depression. “I planned my day around the pain,” Kriewaldt Hudson says. “My world got smaller and smaller.”

When she was in her 30s, a doctor finally took X-rays. He was shocked to see severe osteoarthritis in her hip. She was a young woman facing a hip replacement—but she couldn’t bear the thought of a year of rehabilitation.

Kriewaldt Hudson knew she needed help: “What’s the point of being 36 and living like I was 70 years old?”

Getting Help

She met Sridhar Durbhakula, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center. He described a new procedure called MAKOplasty, which is less invasive and offers a faster recovery than traditional hip replacement surgery.

During the MAKOplasty procedure, computer guidance and robotics—“smart tools”—provide surgeons with greater accuracy so there are fewer risks, Dr. Durbhakula explains. “Using computer navigation and MAKOplasty, we’re removing less bone and putting the implant exactly where it needs to be placed, which improves implant longevity,” he says.

Feeling Better

Hours after her surgery, Kriewaldt Hudson was able to walk down the hall in the hospital. She went home that evening. “Immediately, it felt better,” she says. “By the second day, I didn’t even need crutches.”

Today, Kriewaldt Hudson still can’t believe her “amazing, quick recovery.” “It’s very liberating,” she says. “I want to go to Europe and Disney World, which require a lot of walking that I can finally do.”

Innovative Joint Replacement

The comprehensive Joint Replacement Center at Adventist HealthCare Shady Grove Medical Center is the first in the region to perform MAKOplasty, a less- invasive alternative to traditional hip replacement surgery. “Our program combines highly skilled physicians with a dedicated center where patients interact with nursing, physical therapy and rehabilitation specialists,” says Brett J. Hampton, MD, the program’s medical director. Adds Sridhar Durbhakula, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Shady Grove Medical Center: “We’re able to help many people get back their lives.”