Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/905617
ELMHURST RESIDENT MARY SOSA is a very busy woman. Many parents might slow down after successfully raising two children, but not Mary. Her weeks are spent working a full-time job, while weekends are often used to explore nearby cities like Chicago and Milwaukee. "I love working, and I love being busy," Mary says. "So, when my hip started causing me severe pain, my quality of life really plummeted." At first, Mary was able to ease the pain in her hip through cortisone injections. However, the cartilage inher hip was wasting away at an alarming rate. It wasn't long before her bones were grinding together with everymovement. "When doctors would ask me to rate my pain on a scale of one to 10, I would tell them that it was off the charts," Mary says. "It got to the point where I constantly needed assistance to get around. I couldn't even step off a street curb without help. That way of life is not my style." MARY'S MIRACLE WORKERS Eager to find relief, Mary followed her daughter Tammy Farrell's recommendation straight to the doors of Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Joint Center. "In attempting to alleviate her pain, Mary exhausted many of the nonsurgical treatment options we typically suggest first," says Dave Smith, DC, PT, joint care coordinator at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Joint Center. "With none of them keeping her pain at bay, we decided to move forward with surgery." After discussions with Smith and her surgeon, Rajeev Jain, MD, medical director, Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital Joint Center, Mary was scheduled for surgery on May 1. She opted for a minimally invasive option called anterior total hip replacement. "For people who are appropriate candidates, anterior hip replacement is an excellent option," Dr. Jain says. "The operation itself is less invasive than traditional joint BUSY Getting Back to 4