Orthopaedic Surgery Patient Stories

Learn how orthopaedic surgery changed the lives of these UPMC patients.

Note: These patients' treatment and results may not be representative of all similar cases.

Lisa Anderson

Lisa Anderson was a passionate hiker and loved to travel. Although she was always very active, she began to develop pain in her leg that persisted and worsened. Lisa received a total hip replacement and four months after her surgery, she was hiking in Vietnam and has now gained her mobility and independence back.

James Duke

When James Duke’s leg pain began to interfere with his ability to walk on the bike trail and get around on the golf course, he refused to let his leg pain make him give up his activities. After he received a left total knee replacement, James was amazed he no longer had knee problems and impressed by the level of commitment and care from his orthopaedic team.

Barbara Fazenbaker

Barbara Fazenbaker considered having orthopaedic surgery for more than 10 years before she decided to have a right and left total hip replacement. Now she enjoys being active without the consequence of pain and doesn't know what took her so long to decide to have surgery.

Janet Rushmore

Thinking that she was just getting older, Janet Rushmore accepted her hip pain and was forced to give up dancing and biking. After consulting an orthopaedic team, she decided to get a left total hip replacement to regain her mobility. After surgery, Lisa was thrilled to discover that she could dance again, and found that she now has an easier time keeping up with her seven grandchildren.

Maggie Schneider

Maggie Schneider loves to be outdoors. So, four years ago when she started having joint pain, she thought it was simply due to her active lifestyle. But over time the pain got worse. Maggie's left hip was quickly deteriorating. When nonsurgical options failed to get rid of her pain, her doctor suggested hip replacement surgery. She has since been able to go back to work. And she's looking forward to getting back into the gym on a regular basis.

Helene McQuaide

Helene McQuaide has been an athlete most of her life. She earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts dance and toured with a professional modern dance company into her mid-20s. Although her career has changed over the years, she still dances and stays active. But for a time, her encroaching knee pain threatened to take that all away from her. After consulting with her doctor, she decided to have partial knee replacement surgery.

Helen Cahalane

Helen has degenerative joint disease and has suffered joint pain for years. Thanks to her good health, Helen was a candidate for the Same-Day Discharge program. She could have her surgery and be ready to go home just a few hours later. Within the first two weeks post-surgery, Helen's pain got better each day.

​Orthopaedic Surgery Patient Stories