Back on two feet after hip surgery

Chris Blair had a normal, athletic childhood. If anything, it might even be considered a bit unusual given how many different sports he played with ease, including wrestling, football, track and field, and skateboarding — his favorite. No one would have ever known that Chris was born with one leg longer than the other. In fact, Chris didn’t even know until he was grown.

As an adult, Chris traded the wrestling mat for job sites as he enjoyed a successful career in the construction industry. He started as an apprentice and worked his way up, building commercial and other types of buildings across California. At the same time, Chris continued to enjoy an active life outside of work, taking up snowboarding and working out. He also became a father to a son and stepfather to two girls.

As the years went on, however, Chris began to realize he couldn’t do all the same things he once did. He began experiencing discomfort and pain in his hips, even when doing something as simple as wearing his tool belt around his waist.

Chris and his wife were living in Salt Lake City when his pain became unbearable.

“I was working on a construction project at the airport and thought, ‘If I can’t carry tools or even walk to be able to perform inspections, what am I going to do?’” Chris remembers. “It was a hard time in my life, and the cold weather was not kind on my joints, so we relocated out west.”

A move west provides a new beginning — and new hip

Chris and his wife moved to Arizona, but Chris continued to travel to California for work. He was referred to Dr. Nick Kusnezov, an orthopedic surgeon with Sharp Community Medical Group, and scheduled for surgery at Sharp Chula Vista Medical Center.

“My pain had gotten so bad that by the time I saw Dr. Kusnezov, it was bone on bone,” Chris says.

“Chris had two conditions, which are common and often go undiagnosed until they begin causing symptoms: a difference in limb length, called limb length inequality, and a hip joint that is shaped differently, known as femoroacetabular impingement,” Dr. Kusnezov says. “There are many patients with slight differences in the length of their legs who are unaware of this, but it can lead to tilt in the pelvis that causes the hips to either overload or pinch.”

After being evaluated, Dr. Kusnezov and Chris decided that he would have an anterior total hip replacement to alleviate his pain, improve his motion and mobility, and return him to his normal activities.

“As orthopedic surgeons, we always try to exhaust conservative treatment options before surgery, but Chris had severe pain and he had worn all the cartilage off in his hip joint, so I knew that a hip replacement was the only treatment that would quickly and reliably return him to an active lifestyle,” Dr. Kusnezov says. “We decided on an anterior total hip replacement, which is a muscle-sparing approach that would allow him to recover as quickly as possible.”

The surgery was easy, according to Chris. After surgery, he was brought to his room on Sharp Chula Vista’s dedicated unit for post-op neurovascular, orthopedic and spine care.

“My experience at Sharp Chula Vista was great,” Chris says. “All of my nurses were great.”

Now, 10 months past his surgery, Chris is continuing to regain strength through physical therapy and looking forward to spending more time with his son and family, getting back to his construction career, and returning to some of his favorite activities — all while being careful to protect his new hip.

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