Dameron Hospital | Health Outlook | Fall 2019

dameronhospital.org 9 specializing in sports medicine. It was important to her that her doctor understand her desire and drive to remain active and competitive. “After an evaluation at Alpine Orthopaedic Medical Group, I was stunned by the news that both hips needed replacing. X-rays showed that both hips were bone-on-bone,” she says. “The only solution was hip replacement. Based on my interest and desire to continue training as a competitive skydiver, they recommended that I see orthopedic surgeon Jaspreet Sidhu, DO, because he performs anterior hip replacement—a relatively new procedure that would be less invasive and provide the kind of outcome I was looking for.” Garcia-Sheets made sure that Dr. Sidhu understood that she was passionate about maintaining her lifestyle as an athlete and was committed to doing whatever it would take to regain full function. “I was comfortable with Dr. Sidhu from the moment he walked into the room,” she says. “He listened carefully, asked questions about my sport and answered all of my questions about anterior hip replacement. I had been on a path to compete at the 2018 Skydiving Nationals Competition. Dr. Sidhu said he would help me get back on track with my training goals, which included replacing both hips at the same time.” Not a typical patient Dr. Sidhu took the time to watch her skydiving videos to learn how she used her legs and the kinds of body movements she made. He used that knowledge to replace her hips to withstand the demands of the sport. “I greatly appreciated Dr. Sidhu’s insight and support of my competitive goals,” Garcia-Sheets says. “I am deeply and forever grateful for Dr. Sidhu’s patience, thoughtfulness, attentive care, knowledge, and skill.” “Maria was not one of my typical patients, by any means,” says Dr. Sidhu. “I don’t normally perform bilateral hip replacements unless the patient is in exceptionally good health and is highly committed to the recovery process, and she fit the bill perfectly. In Maria’s case, lack of motivation was not the issue. The challenge was trying to moderate her rehabilitation efforts to avoid overtraining and resuming her athletic activities too soon! She thrives on pushing the envelope.” Exemplifying the intensity of her resolve to confront challenges head-on, the time frame between diagnosis and surgery was less than three weeks. When asked about her patient experience at Dameron Hospital, Garcia- Sheets admits that prior to her surgery, she hadn’t given hospitals much thought and basically knew where Dameron was located. But she definitely has opinions about the hospital now. “My experience as a patient at — Continued on page 10 HIP PAIN? To find out if anterior hip replacement surgery is right for you, visit the Dameron Hospital website at dameronhospital.org/hipreplacement . “I had a fabulous surgeon, fantastic hospital care, exemplary physical therapy and follow- up care, and support for my goals along the entire journey. I’m the best ‘me.’”