For David Steadman, age 71 and a 32-year member of the historic Beverly Country Club, playing for the first time at the recently restored club this spring was supposed to be a round to remember.

He will indeed remember that round, but for a different reason.  Hip pain and a limp limited him to just nine holes and a dependency on his cart. “I had to pull the golf cart closer to me just to manage,” he explains. “I felt like I couldn’t walk 10 steps.”

Steadman, like many golfers and adults over 50, suffered from osteoarthritis of the hip which causes pain due to the deterioration of cushioning between his hip joint’s ‘ball and socket’.  

“I retired last October and was looking forward to using the 50 rounds I had purchased in advance at a course in Florida,” he said. “But pain overtook the pleasure of golf for me.”

Time for a total hip replacement

Steadman decided enough was enough and sought advice from joint replacement specialist Dr. Vasili Karas at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.  Upon a close exam of Steadman and after reviewing imaging of his hip joint, Dr. Karas recommended a total joint replacement as soon as Steadman was ready.

“Half of my friends have had a knee or hip replaced so I knew this was the way to go,” Steadman says.

Steadman underwent the surgery at Rush University Medical Center, which lasted about one hour, on a Friday and was surprised to be back home the following day. He was able to walk upstairs to go to bed that night and didn’t need the walker he had purchased before the surgery. Sixteen days post-surgery he was outside bending and kneeling to work on his home’s sprinkler system - and walking around the block.

Getting back to golf

“Every day I feel better,” he said.  “It’s really a miracle how fast I returned to feeling pain-free and normal.”

The best part, he says, is that he is off pain medication which had become a part of his life. Today he only takes Tylenol as needed.

“Golfing has been a great thing for me in my life,” he said. “I’m really glad I got this done so I can get back to having fun again.”

If you are interested in discussing your hip condition with Dr. Vasili Karas, who sees patients in Chicago and Oak Park, call 877.MD.BONES or visit www.rushortho.com.