Eye on Health: Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists focus on hip preservation over replacement for young patient
Ava Dillon loved to dance, competing in pom and jazz at Marian High School, but two years ago her health took an unexpected turn. What started as mild hip pain gradually worsened until she was limping and couldn’t walk far without sitting down. Despite seeing several physicians, nobody could figure out what was wrong.
Everything changed when Ava met Dr. LeeAnne Torres and Dr. Eric McCoy at Beacon Bone and Joint Specialists.
“Young and particularly active patients, those without arthritis, we want to try to preserve that hip for as long as possible so that something like a hip replacement is not in the discussion for decades to come,” Dr. Torres explains.
Instead of hip replacement, the doctors corrected Ava’s bone deformity and repaired her hip cartilage by surgically realigning the bone.
“A lot of patients that I meet often have an injury for a prolonged period of time and either do multiple rounds of physical therapy first and still having that problem,” Dr. McCoy says. “So, I think if there’s a persistent problem, despite therapy and other measures, definitely see our team to help address that.”
After six months of rehabilitation, Ava was back to full activity. The health journey and experience at Beacon inspired her to pursue nursing after high school, amazed by the care she received during her hospital stay.
“When I had my surgery and I was here for four days in the hospital, I saw how the nurses were. They were amazing. They really did make an impact on my hospital stay,” Ava says.
Beacon offers the only program in the region to combine minimally invasive arthroscopy with open joint preservation procedures. Today, Ava is pain-free and back to doing what she loves. Hear more about her health journey on WSBT’s Eye on Health.
Learn more
When your daily life and routines have changed because of bone fractures, joint, muscle or tendon pain, it’s time to see the experts. Beacon Bone & Joint Specialists provide expert orthopedic care while helping you get back to doing what you love.
