Rebecca Hilley out hiking with her two dogs post-surgery.

Rebecca Hilley has always lived an active lifestyle. An avid walker and hiker, there’s nothing she loves more than getting outside and exploring the beauty of Northwest Colorado with her husband and two dogs by her side.

But a decade of arthritis and other joint issues in her hips eventually caught up to her. Easy walking miles became more difficult and painful to get through. She started to avoid the everyday activities she once loved. She knew something had to change — and soon.

“I was losing the ability to get out in nature and do what I love most,” she explained. “I forced myself to do it, even though I was in pain. I wanted my life back. I’m not a couch potato by any means.”

Hilley had severe hip arthritis in both of her hips, which led her to seek professional medical help from our specialists at Memorial Regional Health. She tried physical therapy and other holistic treatments first, but as her pain worsened, hip surgery became her last resort.

“I was freaked out by the idea of getting major joints replaced, but the more I talked to my surgeon and realized things weren’t going to get better, I decided this was the best option for me to move on with my life,” she said.

Hilley worked with Dr. Bobby Howarth on her double hip replacement. She received her first new hip last October, and her second a few months later in January.

“After 10 years of on-and-off arthritis pain, the year leading up to surgery was the worst,” Hilley said. “It felt like my hips were going to pop out of their socket at any moment. Even just walking was very difficult, which was awful considering we live on a large property and have animals to care for. It was just time for me to fix the problem.”

Hip replacement stats

Hip replacements occur quite frequently — between 2012 and 2018, the 2019 American Joint Replacement Registry (AJRR) reported more than 600,000 completed hip procedures.

Joint replacements aren’t as invasive or require as much recovery time as they once did. The same AJRR report showed the average length of a hospital stay for a primary hip replacement decreased from 2.6 days in 2012 to 1.9 days in 2018; however, some patients can go home the same day.

Although a hip replacement — and for Hilley specifically, a double hip replacement — may appear intimidating at first, it is usually the final treatment option for alleviating chronic pain. Other nonsurgical methods are exhausted first, such as a weight loss program, brace use, anti-inflammatory medicine, physical therapy and injections to affected joints.

“To have my mobility back with no chronic pain is special. Life is so much better than it was. If I didn’t go through with this surgery, I don’t think I’d be walking like I am today.”
— Rebecca Hilley

Memorial Regional Health works with orthopaedic specialists from the Steamboat Orthopaedic and Spine Institute for total joint surgical care, with board-certified Dr. Howarth as director of the MRH Total Joint Program.

“I had heard Dr. Howarth was a renowned surgeon with a really good record in our town,” Hilley said. “Between his expertise and the convenience of receiving care so close to home, it made sense for me to get my surgery done at MRH.”

If you have hip, knee or other joint pain that needs to be addressed by an orthopaedic specialist, learn more about our total joint services at MRH here.

Signs you might consider hip replacement

Hip pain is hard to deal with. Most orthopaedic experts will recommend physical therapy and other nonsurgical options before hip replacement becomes the final option.

Hip replacement surgery might be considered if you have hip pain that:

• Affects your everyday activities and mood
• Persists, despite taking pain medication and/or participating in physical therapy
• Worsens when you walk, even assisted devices like a cane or walker
• Makes it difficult to sleep
• Continues while you sleep or rest
• Makes it difficult to dress yourself
• Affects your ability to walk up or down stairs
• Makes it difficult to stand from a seated position
• Is a result of a damaged hip joint or severe arthritis

Source: University of Utah Health, Mayo Clinic

The interactions Hilley had with her entire care team are what stood out to her most. Dr. Howarth was personable and answered any questions she had before, during and after the surgery. On surgery day, MRH nursing and support staff helped calm her nerves and made her feel safe and comfortable.

“I had a really good experience,” Hilley said. “I didn’t come across any problems and everything went very smoothly. Dr. Howarth was an excellent surgeon and filled me with confidence. Every single person I interacted with — from my surgical team to the nursing aids — were all great and put me at ease as much as you can before surgery.”

After surgery, Hilley faced weeks of recovery, which required patience, hard work and motivation. Determined to return to her active lifestyle, she spent months building back her strength and adjusting to her new joints. She expressed gratitude for her physical therapy team and is now almost back to full mobility.

“It has been a long, hard recovery, but the end result has been life-changing,” she said. “To have my mobility back with no chronic pain is special. Life is so much better than it was. If I didn’t go through with this surgery, I don’t think I’d be walking like I am today.”

These days, Hilley is back to doing all the activities she loves most, from trekking on local hiking trails to rolling out her mat for some morning yoga. While reflecting on the last two years and the changes she made to get her where she is today, she feels grateful — grateful for the help of MRH and grateful for her inner motivation to become active again.

“I highly recommend the orthopaedics services at MRH,” she said. “It was such a positive experience. I had a great surgeon, wonderful support staff and team and everything went as planned. I’m very thankful I could do this in my life and I’m thankful that my life is back to normal now that it’s all done.”