PATIENT TESTIMONIALS

On July 21, 2008, Dr. Carter performed a bilateral total hip replacement on me using the Anterior Approach method. I am currently two weeks post-op and can say that this surgery is amazing and WILL benefit anyone that takes advantage of this miraculous technique. I immediately had no arthritic pain and was experiencing only, what I would call, the effects of a pulled muscle. There has been a continuation of this discomfort and some stiffness, but doing the PT exercises I was given I feel improvement each day. I had my post-op appointment on August 1, 2008 and was released by Dr. Carter to do anything “as tolerated.” My taking of pain medication has dwindled to almost nothing; mostly to help get to sleep. I had planned to return to work on August 11, 2008 and that is on track. I will be continuing my PT exercises to allow for the total rehab of my new hips and to help some muscles I haven’t used for years, due to the arthritic pain, so that I can do those little things that the arthritis made painful. My thanks to Dr. Carter and his staff for al the care and support I have received. Don’t waste any more time with vacillating over this surgery, jump in and begin your new life without arthritis pain!

I am 87 years-old and thanks to Dr. John Aldridge, I am an above average athlete playing tennis at Norfolk Yacht and Country Club every Saturday and Sunday as well as golf four days a week at Duck Woods and Elizabeth Manor Country Club. Again, thanks to Dr. Aldridge, after a hip replacement in 2005 and a shoulder replacement in early 2013, I can still compete in tennis with fellows 20-30 years younger. From the Senior tees in golf, I can shoot in the high 70’s.

I have recommended 8 to 10 fellow golfers and tennis partners to Dr. Aldridge since 2005 and John has performed successful hip, knee, and shoulder replacements on all of them. He is not only an outstanding surgeon, he is a great family man with three children and his wife is expecting with a fourth shortly. I’d be remiss by not mentioning that John is 41 years only, a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Army Reserves and looks like he is 30 years old!

In 2005, when I first met John Aldridge, I felt a personal bond and friendship and after 8 years, I still have that same bond.

In February 2009, I had a left total knee replacement which has been a life changing experience for me. I received the highest quality care from Dr. Cavazos and his staff at HROSM. Mary Immaculate Hospital carried out the same quality of care during my in-patient stay. My total knee replacement has given me the ability to enjoy life pleasures again. Thank you to all who participated in my healthcare.

I’m 44 years old and was not living life. Dr. Kerner was a second opinion and it was the best decision I have made! Dr. Kerner was very professional and all of his staff at HROSM was very professional. It had been 10 years of continuous pain and now there has been none! Now I see myself being able to do things everybody else is doing.

It is now 22 days after my hip replacement surgery with Dr. Carter. I really do not have the words that can say thank you loud enough to satisfy the way I feel! My recovery has been remarkable! After discharge from the hospital I followed instructions to do as much or little as the new hip could take without causing any pain. What I found 3 days post op is that I didn’t need the walker, only a cane. Ten days later I did not even need the cane any longer. I did, however, learn early on to watch just how much I exercised the new joint each day because overuse would cause some uncomfortable cramps later in the day. I quickly learned that I was not quite ready for the marathon circuit yet and settled for a little less walking! Its now 2 weeks later and I feel as though I could do that marathon! I really can not believe how fast I am coming along, how much less pain I have, and just how “easy” the entire experience has been.

As you know I have had the right hip replaced twice, which makes me a veteran of the “lateral approach” replacement method. I can say with absolute authority that your method of the anterior approach is 100 times better than the old method. I could go on for pages explaining the positive reasons but let’s just say I wish I had known of you, your talented hands, and your methodology 6 years ago.

I actually have another reason to be grateful and say thank you! The “extra effort” you put into making my left leg longer so it could match my right leg length has also had remarkable effects. I noticed my new height and lack of leaning to the left the first time I stood on my feet after surgery. I no longer have a “wobble” when I walk, and the guy that looks back at me in the mirror each morning is not tilted to the left anymore! The toes of my foot used to tingle because of the lumbar problem created by the leg length issue. They no longer tingle and my lower back pain has been reduced quite a bit, and is getting better all the time! I had the impression I would need to have back surgery to correct the back problems, but strongly believe now that it is not going to be necessary. Not knowing any words that would truly express my gratitude, I can only say THANK YOU VERY MUCH Dr. Carter you are indeed a gentleman and a scholar!

The first time I saw Dr. Cavazos he scheduled my appointment for his last one of the day. That was so he could spend as much time as was needed to talk to me and discuss my problem without being rushed. No matter how long it took.

Dr. Cavazos was the best OS I ever met at Langley AFB! He is interested in the whole person.

At 40, I was diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the right hip and my family physician said I would eventually need a hip replacement. I thought “eventually” would be in my 60s. “Eventually” came at the age of 43 when a surgeon told me 95% of the people would already have had their hip replaced. I could not believe in 3 years my hip declined so rapidly. I’d done no research on the surgery, the recovery or the outcome. Before I could even think about surgery, I needed to learn about options available for younger patients.

In my research, I found endless statistics about successful traditional hip replacements in patients 55 and over. There was little information about options or success rates in younger patients. At 43, I did not want the traditional procedure with its months of recovery and potential lifetime limitations. I was very active and did not want any long term damage that would limit or restrict the use of my hip or leg. I wanted a procedure that provided a quick recovery so I could resume exercising. In time I found information about the Anterior Approach procedure and the amazing results it offered younger patients. This gave me great hope but the hospitals and surgeons were in California or New York and not here in Hampton Roads. A month later, I received an e-mail about a local woman who had hip replacement surgery in Newport News without going to “rehab”. I quickly researched Anterior Approach in Newport News and it led me straight to Dr. Anthony Carter, HROSM and Mary Immaculate Hospital.

By 45, I was only able to walk for short periods and the pain and limitations increased each day. The minute I met Dr. Carter and his team, I knew I’d found the group that would make it possible to return to a normal pain free life. After speaking with Dr. Carter about the Anterior Approach procedure, and learning more about the benefits the procedure offered me, I was ready to schedule my surgery date. I cannot begin to express how competent, compassionate and caring Dr. Carter and his team have been throughout the process. It is hard to imagine a short 90 minute surgery could yield such amazing results. I walked a few hours after my surgery (using a walker) and climbed stairs the next day. Every day since my surgery has been remarkable and completely exceeded my expectations. In a few short weeks I was pain free and able to return to a very active lifestyle. I have such confidence in Dr. Carter, his team, and the Anterior Approach procedure that I have no hesitations in scheduling a surgery date for my left hip replacement.

The left hip trouble started in earnest in October 2010, but I was sure I could manage it-I had managed everything else so far. Over-confident! Next, I found a “doctor in the book”, but by late 2012, my hunt was on for an A+ leading-edge “direct anterior approach to hip replacement” expert who would be able to return me to active mobility ASAP. I have a packed schedule as a forty-something fitness-age person in a 71 year-old body. Abracadabra, he was right in my backyard-Dr. John Aldridge!

Dr. Aldridge was first up in friends and family referrals, carefully vetted by me, a mathematician with a specialty in geometry. The geometry of the operation worried me a bit. I vetted him carefully. Well, that took about two minutes. It was the video that sealed it for me. Beyond the expertise and instructing other surgeons, he loves what he does. That’s it, he’s my #1. Can I get in?

After a quick choice of Robotic (MAKOplasty) surgery-the famous “direct anterior approach to hip replacement”-I made the Aldridge Class of 2013 on 15 April at Mary Immaculate Hospital and graduated to a pain-free life from then and there! Talk about an A+ doctor and team. He did most of the work, but I did work out like mad every day until the big day and I worked hard to be a good patient in the hospital and at home during recovery. I was walking the third day after surgery and soon was walking three miles. With the exception of the first three days and nights post-op, when my sister Bet stepped up to the plate with support, it was hard to figure why people make such a fuss about surgery. I had not had any surgery since my tonsils were out. What did I know?

The world-class A+ good Dr. Aldridge proved his case to me as if there was nothing to it. That is what really got me. That still impresses me most. That has been my experience from the welcoming automatic entrance door for the first visit, to the super-friendly, talented, efficient and patient-centered Dr. Aldridge team and the entire HROSM practice. Nothing to it.

This is a place of dedicated professionals who take a personal interest in the patient while showing deep commitment to the hard work their care requires.

Thank you so much Dr. Aldridge, Team and HROSM. Here’s to your health too!

I am writing to thank Dr. Carter for doing such a great job on my total hip replacement. The surgery went superbly, my pre-surgical preparation and care were excellent, and your management of my recovery in the hospital ensured that I had no pain and was able to walk and be discharged in only one day.

You replaced by right hip with the anterior approach. The results were markedly different, and 100 percent better, than my left hip replacement. As you know, another doctor replaced my left hip at a northern Virginia hospital five years ago. The left hip was done with the posterior approach. Although I went in to the surgery in good physical condition, the surgery left me seriously weak and debilitated for more than 6 weeks. Moreover, although the left hip works fine, my left foot and part of my leg suffered nerve damage and my foot is partially paralyzed. I have a basis to compare and I can tell you that the anterior approach and your surgical skills produced outstanding results. I was walking and bearing full weight the day of surgery and was discharged on the day after surgery. Your pain management during the process was excellent and I have had no pain and relatively little discomfort during the entire process. Two weeks after surgery I am driving, back into a daily exercise routine in my gymnasium, and recovering very well.

Needless to say, I am delighted with your surgery, your staff, and with Hampton Roads Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine’s care. Thank you again for making this a comfortable experience that has given me back the level of activity I enjoyed before the hip deteriorated.

No more pain and hobbling thanks to my cute, talented, and enthusiastic Doctor. Carter, Carter he’s our man, if her can’t do it, no doctor can!!