John Robledo has always had an active lifestyle.
The 64-year-old resident of Albuquerque, New Mexico, was inspired to exercise by his father, an army veteran.
“I remember him saying, ‘If you go to the high school track and run two miles with me, I’ll let you drive the car for two miles on the dirt road,’” he said. “For a 13-year-old, that was a big motivation.”
Robledo also followed his father into the U.S. Army, enlisting after high school at the age of 17. “Three days after graduation, I was on a plane to basic training,” he recalled.
At that time, satellites were in their infancy, so Robledo focused on learning as much as he could about “microwave communications.”
After the Army and other jobs, he was hired by the NEP Group, an international production company that provides outsourced tele-production services for major events throughout the world, such as the Masters Golf Tournament, the Olympics and the Super Bowl.
At work, John is known as the internal protocol video engineer in charge. “I’m basically the plumber making sure the video and sound feeds stream from the golf course to the networks and then into people’s homes,” he said.
He also gets his exercise while on the job, walking long distances to the production trailers where he works. “In my job,” he said, “I easily walk more than 10,000 steps a day.” Last year, however, walking to work involved a lot of difficulty and pain.
When John’s right knee was replaced six years ago, his doctor told him that his hip would be next. For the past two years, the bone-on-bone osteoarthritis in his hip had progressively worsened. “It got to the point where I would sneeze and feel pain,” he recalls.
That’s when John sought the expertise of Christopher Hanosh, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with Lovelace Medical Group.
Minimally invasive surgery
Dr. Hanosh specializes in minimally invasive orthopedic surgeries for knee and hip replacements.
He is one of the few physicians in the area who uses the “direct superior” approach to replacing the hip joint.
Instead of starting surgery in the front or side of the hip, Dr. Hanosh initiates the surgery from behind, which reduces damage to the surrounding muscles and ligaments and provides better support and stability for the newly replaced joints.
After surgery, Robledo began a structured rehabilitation program to walk with his new hip.
“I had my surgery on a Monday and by Sunday I was in church with only a cane to steady me,” he recalls. In addition to getting in miles on the treadmill and stationary bike, John does specific exercises to strengthen the front, back and side muscles in his legs. “This morning, I did three miles on my treadmill in the basement.”
Robledo also learned a valuable lesson as he began his rehabilitation program.
“My physical therapist taught me to me ‘walk straight in my head,’” he recalled. “With my new hip, I don’t have an injury anymore, so I should mentally walk straight and that’s what I did. I also focused on good nutrition, little alcohol and was able to minimize the painkillers I needed.”
John credits Dr. Hanosh and his excellent staff for getting him back into shape quickly and is not shy about telling others.
“Dr. Hanosh is a great guy, very personable,” says John. “His nurses and staff are excellent. Being in their care was a really good experience. Sometimes I see people walking with a limp who I don’t even know. I will stop and talk about our injuries. Eventually, I will tell them they need to give Dr. Hanosh a call.”
Once again, John is the engineer in charge, delivering the right information to others.
If you would like more information about our orthopedic services, visit our website. If you would like to schedule an appointment in Albuquerque, call 505-727-4300. To schedule an appointment in Roswell, call 575-625-3300.