Last updated: March 10, 2026
Having tried PRP and stem cell therapy last year for the severe arthritis and degeneration in my right hip with no improvement, I decided to have a total hip replacement. The surgery was done on March 4 by the amazing Dr. Shane Martin, Director, The Joint Replacement Center of Scottsdale, and Founder, Scottsdale Center for Robotic Surgery (where I had my procedure done). You can read more about the robotic technology here: Benefits of a MAKOplasty Joint Replacement.
Alastair and I checked in at the Center at 6:30am that morning. Surgery prep took several hours. A great team of nurses gave us a thorough briefing of what to expect before, during and after surgery. I drifted away shortly after I was given a spinal nerve block and the anesthesia.
Dr. Martin uses Mako SmartRobotics™ – a surgeon-controlled, robotic-arm assisted procedure for total hip replacement. Using a direct anterior approach, an incision was made over the front of my right hip below the “bikini line”. The incision is shown in 1st image below. This procedure utilizes a muscle spreading technique, which means no muscles get cut, resulting in less bleeding and damage to the soft tissues. The 2nd image below shows where the robotic arm’s optical tracers were attached to my left pelvis, which provided real-time navigation data, enabling implant positioning with a high degree of accuracy. The arthritic ball end of my femur (top of thigh bone) was removed and a metal component (a stem) was inserted into the bone. Then the hip socket was replaced with an acetabular cup lined with durable polyethylene plastic. You can learn more about the Mako procedure on Stryker’s website.
I woke an hour and a half after the surgery, and was almost giddy about how good I felt. Dr. Martin told us everything went very well and judging by the poor condition of my hip there was no doubt that surgery was the right decision.
We left the Center by 12:30pm and went back to our hotel in Scottsdale. I was still drugged up with pain killers so I felt surprisingly good for the rest of the day. I spent the afternoon chilling out… literally! Eating vegan sorbet, wearing a gel ice pack on my hip, and automated compression sleeves on my calves.
We drove home the next day and, not surprisingly, by the afternoon the pain had increased. I was exhausted and apparently the prescription pain med had given my bowels permission to go on vacation (c’mon Miralax, do your thing!).
Friday was much better. Pain level was down, Miralax did its thing, and I was able to walk around more and do the PT exercises prescribed by a nurse at the Center. I was also given multiple products to aid in my recovery: a Manamed Hip Bundle, which includes a cold compression hip wrap, automated calf compression sleeves, and a NMES/TENS device. These devices are used for edema and pain control, as well as DVT and muscular atrophy prevention.
I was also prescribed a number of medications – some required and some to be taken only as necessary. I hate taking unnecessary meds, so as soon as possible I’ve been stopping them.
- Tranexamic acid (TXA) 650mg – take for 3 days to minimize bleeding/bruising (completed)
- Celecoxib (Celebrex) 200mg – anti-inflammatory and also helps with pain control.
- Pregabalin (Lyrica) 75mg – for nerve/nighttime pain.
- Hydrocodone 5/325mg – as needed for pain. (took only for the first 2 days)
- Ondansetron (Zofran) 4 mg – as needed for nausea/vomiting. (took 1x)
- Baby Aspirin (enteric coated) 81mg – to prevent blood clots. (stop after 4 weeks)
By the end of day 3, the only meds I’ve continued to take are Celebrex, Pregabalin and the baby aspirin.
My recovery continued to go well days 5 and 6. The incision was healing well, no redness or bruising, and less swelling. I started the prescribed PT exercises the day after surgery, and now I’m doing an hour per day of combined PT and upper body strength exercises (gotta stay fit for swimming!). I also started walking with a more even gait, using my hiking sticks as needed – very happy about that! My daily steps counts were the equivalent of 1.5 miles.
Day 7 was my best yet! I was walking evenly without my hiking sticks, and feeling stronger and emotionally more positive. A home healthcare physical therapist will be coming on Thursday, and my follow up appointment with Dr. Martin is on Friday the 13th – stay tuned!