Lynette and Bill Falck have shared a life together for years. During their marriage, they’ve also shared a desire to be active in their Arlington community. But that’s not all the retired couple has in common. They have both undergone hip replacements.

Bill’s Story

Bill has been an avid cyclist for most of his life. As he’s gotten older, the now 66-year-old has found his stride in biking events and group rides. Although he’s gotten a lot of joy out of cycling, Bill has also had his fill of pain from the sport.

“I had left hip problems for years; pain and mobility were the main issue,” he says. “It was subtle but gradually got worse. It really impacted my ability to ride and what I could do.”

Bill saw several specialists and turned to over-the-counter medications for relief. When that didn’t work, he moved on to joint injections and physical therapy. Still, the pain in his hip persisted.

Lynette’s Story

As Bill continued to struggle, Lynette began to experience her own hip pain — also on her left side. She put up with it even when walking and getting in and out of the car became difficult. After nearly eight years of toughing it out, Lynette finally reached her breaking point when she could no longer do her beloved Pilates.

“During my Pilates practice, my range of motion was really being affected and there was pain,” she recalls. “I was limping more and more; I was having a hard time getting up and down the stairs.”

Like her husband, the 72-year-old turned to joint injections and physical therapy to try to find some relief. With no long-term improvement, Lynette and Bill both sought the help of orthopedic surgeon Venkat Rapuri, M.D., a physician on the medical staff at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital and at Texas Health Orthopedic Specialists, a Texas Health Physicians Group practice.

One Diagnosis, Two Surgeries

It wasn’t long before the Falcks had a clear picture of their health and matching paths forward.

“Bill’s X-rays demonstrated that he was completely bone-on-bone,” Rapuri explains. “Lynette had very similar examination findings to Bill. She was also bone-on-bone, causing significant pain and mobility issues.”

Just as Bill and Lynette had shared so many things during their marriage, they shared the need for minimally invasive total hip replacement surgery for arthritis. Bill was first to undergo surgery, with Lynette following about a year later.

Each of the outpatient procedures involved replacing the worn hip joint with new ball and socket components to restore mobility and relieve pain. Also addressed were torn joint muscles that had plagued both Bill and Lynette. By doing the procedures through small incisions in the front of the hip, Rapuri was able to minimize damage to nearby tissue to promote faster recovery with less discomfort.

After several weeks of physical therapy at home followed by six weeks of outpatient therapy, husband and wife experienced similar night-and-day differences in their joint health.

“It’s transformational,” Bill says. “We have no limitations now on what we do. We can go anywhere; we can do anything. We can continue with the things that we were doing before, like cycling and Pilates, pain-free.”

“Today, I can get in and out of the car — easily,” Lynette adds. “I can bend over and pick things up. I went back to Pilates and it was great. I did not have pain and I could do the things I wanted to do. It was just amazing.”

The Falcks say they are grateful for their “awesome” surgeon, his staff, and the team at Texas Health Arlington. Impeccable, very skilled, thorough, a safe and trusted environment are additional words the couple uses to describe their experience — on their way to a healthy and happy future, shared.

Find a joint care specialist today who can assist with your joint pain. Or to learn more about your joint health, take our hip and knee health assessment.

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