The best hip surgeon EVER!!

[classen_eventer]

I had a nasty accident in April of last year. A young horse spooked, reared, slipped and fell backwards on me (he was fine, apparently I make a great pillow). In addition to a bunch of fractures, I dislocated my right hip. After everything else healed, the hip gave me lots of trouble. I was lucky to find an AWESOME orthopedic surgeon (it helps that my Dad is an orthopedist who has been president of Eastern Orthopedics and on the board of the Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons). Anyway, riders are prone to hip issues (cowgirl hips and cowboy hips per Dr. Stubbs) so thought I would pass this along. I had a 5 and 1/2 hour hip arthroscopy in November that has SIGNIFICANTLY decreased my symptoms (The pain was waking me up 2 to 3 times a night and I can sleep pain free now). Dr. Stubbs is also very nice and professional in addition to being ridiculously smart and talented. Actually, the ortho department at Wake Forest is one of the best (lucky for me as I have had hand surgery with Dr. Andy Koman who fixed my butterfly fracture with a pin so I could still ride in the AECs, saw Dr. Birkindahl for my ruptured discs at C1/C2 which resolved with PT, etc. Wow, I am starting to see why my Dad always hated the fact that I chose eventing as a sport…anyway, if you need hand surgery or have spine issues, Wake Forest is great too, and they have an excellent peds ortho department who I work with a lot as a pediatrician who cares for special needs kids).
BACK ON TRACK, here is the info on Dr. Stubbs. Can’t say enough great things about him:
Allston Stubbs, M.D.

Dr. Stubbs received his undergraduate and masters degrees from the University of North Carolina and his medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine.
He performed his Orthopedic Surgery training with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. He is Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery and has received Subspecialty Certification in Sports Medicine by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery.

He has completed three formal fellowships in sports medicine:

Sports Medicine, Knee, and Shoulder Surgery
Steadman Hawkins Clinic of Vail, Colorado.
Associate Team Physician for the Denver Broncos®, US Ski Team®, and Colorado Rockies®.

Arthroscopic Hip Surgery
Dr. Marc Philippon of Steadman Hawkins Clinic of Vail, Colorado.

Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine
Children’s Hospital of Boston, Massachusetts. Affiliate Hospital of Harvard Medical School. Associate Team Physician for the Boston Ballet® and Boston Marathon®.

He received FDA required certification for the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing® (BHR) System from BHR inventor Dr. Derek McMinn in Birmingham, England.

An expert in hip arthroscopy, Dr. Stubbs has published orthopedic research, created orthopedic instructional videos, and lectured at orthopedic conferences within the United States and abroad.

He currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Sports Medicine Program of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Medical Director of Hip Arthroscopy for Wake Forest University Health Sciences and School of Medicine.

Web address: http://www.wfuhip.com/stubbs.html

[GallopHer]

classen - I, too, had hip arthroscopic surgery performed by Dr. Stubbs. My surgery for “cowgirl hip” was in Aug 2009. Prior to my surgery, I could only ride comfortably for 15 minutes. I can now ride for 2+ hours. I am MUCH older than you and my hip starts to hurt after 2 hours in the saddle. However, my pain is from advanced arthritis, for which my next step is THR.

Dr. Stubbs has followed my rehab and progress. He says that we equestrians are “tough as nails”. I can’t say enough good things about Dr. Stubbs. From what I understand, he is one of the best hip docs in the country.

Best of luck to you!

[Lord_Helpus]

This is really good information since I live in NC and, at age 61, with 50 years of riding behind me, my hips are starting to go.

When I am ready, I will certainly go to Dr. Stubbs.

PS: What is/are cowgirl hips?

[GallopHer]

Cowgirl hips are basically worn out hips from horseback riding. I had bone spurs, FAI, torn labrum, arthritis, etc.

At 51, I was a borderline age for successful arthroscopic surgery. Dr. Stubbs was able to correct most of my issues, with the exception of the arthritis, which is significant. I really need a THR, but I’m putting it off as long as possible. My pain is much better but I have very limited range of motion. I can only ride for about 2 hours at a time - but that is much better than the 15 minutes prior to my surgery.

[walkers]

hips

Interesting thread as my hip is painful but x-ray is normal. i was told there was nothing to do but P.T. till I insisted on a MRI which showed wear and tear.
I live near raleigh and Raleigh Orthopedics has a new Physician who specializes in Hip arthroscopy . His vita is pages long ,you can look him up at Raleigh Orthopeadic web site and click on his link. dr. Baker.
I wanted to know if anyone has seen him or had knowledge of his work.
He did a interesting hip injection , some cortisone but also nerve block(just like our ponies) and then I kept a diary of my reactions to the injections.
I really liked that he wasn’t surgery happy and that he had these protocols to figure out exactly what was happening with the hip. Nerve block was heaven and then with all the cold weather I had not ridden for awhile. well a few days back in the saddle and the pain returns.
Look like if I quit riding my hip would be fine but thats not going to happen.

[GallopHer]

I live in Wake Forest, just north of Raleigh. I opted for surgery with Dr. Stubbs after visits with an Orthopedist in Raleigh and a hip surgeon at Duke. Dr. Stubbs won’t recommend surgery unless it is warranted. He is one of the best in the country. You may want to schedule a consultation…

I had an MRA - (MRI arthrogram) - an MRI with contrast dye injected directly into the hip joint. The results showed that I had a torn labrum, which could only be corrected by surgery. The Duke Orthopedic surgeon referred me to Dr. Stubbs who performed my arthroscopic surgery. I’ve been pleased with the results.

[Lord_Helpus]

I had forgotten (in the ensuing month) that Dr. Stubbs is a hip specialist.

As I said, I will certainly put him in my address book for when I need my hip(s) done.

That said, there is a man at my barn who is having severe lower back pain. Dr. #1 said that he didn’t know what was wrong, but wanted to operate to find out. Dr. #2 (looking at 2 year old films/MRI) said that he would be fine with some PT and pain killers.

This man is in horrible pain, yet he has to keep working (mucking stalls and doing heavy labor) because he needs the money.

LSS: Anyone know of a back specialist ortho surgeon who will take the time to find out what is wrong and lay out a reasonable course of treatment?

Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Greensboro, etc. are all convenient.