Bilateral THR Orthopedists in St. Paul, MN and suburbs

[Kansetsuen]

Hi,

My friend recommended this group as a resource as I look into likely bilateral total hip replacement. She said that in her experience, finding a competent, experienced surgeon is important.

Will you please make recommendations and if you have time, explain why you think I should consider your doctor?

So far, I have local recommendations for Dr. Thomas Comfort of Twin Cities Orthopedics. Additional information about him would be great as well as others I should consider.

Thanks.

BTW, kansetsuen is the Japanese word for arthritis.

 

[Jaycey]

@Kansetsuen Welcome to BoneSmart! Indeed finding an experienced surgeon that you feel you can work with is very important.

We have a small database of surgeon that members or staff have recommended. I don't have personal experience with these surgeons (I am in the UK) but I hope our members will come along to help you.

These surgeon are in the St Paul area:
Paul R. Diekmann, MD
Dr. Kristoffer Breien, MD
Dr. Scott B. Marsten, MD
Dr. Joseph P. Nessler, MD

 

[Jamie]

Dr. Thomas Comfort may be an excellent surgeon. But you would want to confirm with him how many bilateral hip replacements he does each year. Normally we advise BoneSmarties to find a surgeon who does at least 150 hip replacements annually (not necessarily that many bilateral surgeries….just hip replacements). And in the case of planning a bilateral procedure, also ask how many of those he does. You want someone who has a lot of experience and a good success rate.

With a bilateral procedure, you will be in surgery longer than for one hip, obviously. Ask if he has another surgeon assisting to speed the time up or does he personally do both hips one at a time.

The four surgeons Jaycey provided are from my list and all were recommendations from members. In looking at their areas of expertise, I would recommend either Dr. Diekmann (in the same clinic as Dr. Comfort) or Dr. Nessler. Both have expertise not only in primary hip replacements, but also do hip reconstruction and joint revisions. This usually means the surgeon has a bit more training and experience in the more complex surgeries like a bilateral procedure.

Here is some additional information that may help you as you prepare for your surgery.

New BoneSmart members like you are in various stages of their journey to joint replacement. Making the decision whether or not to have surgery and preparing for surgery can be easier once you have done your research and know what lies ahead. Here are some tools that can help you decide what is best for you.

If you are at the stage where you have joint pain but don't know for sure if you are ready to have surgery, these links may help:

Score Chart: How bad is my arthritic hip?
Choosing a surgeon and a prosthesis
BMI Calculator - What to do if your surgeon says you're too heavy for joint replacement surgery
Longevity of implants and revisions: How long will my new joint last?


If you are at the stage where you are planning to have surgery but are looking for information so you can be better prepared for what is to come, take a look at these links:

Recovery Aids: A comprehensive list for hospital and home
Recliner Chairs: Things you need to know if buying one for your recovery
Pre-Op Interviews: What's involved?


And if you want to picture what your life might be like with a replaced hip, take a look at the posts and threads from other BoneSmarties provided in this link:

Stories of amazing hip recoveries

 

[Layla]

Hello and Welcome to BoneSmart!
Due to familiarity with the area, I'd like to share some info -

I have heard good things about Dr Comfort from a knee patient of his. I'd also recommend another surgeon at TCO
Robert V. Knowlan, MD. Experienced surgeon and extremely personable. I've seen him multiple time through the years.

If interested in trying Summit Orthopedics I have two recommendations through personal experience -
Jack Drogt, M.D.
Peter Daly, M.D.

 

[Mojo333]

and welcome.

 

[djklaugh]

@Kansetsuen Welcome to BoneSmart! I do hope you find a surgeon who is very experienced and willing to do a bilateral hip replacement for you. If you need them here are the reasons that my surgeon recommended BTHR for me. 1) He felt that one surgery would be less of a risk for me (I was 64yo and generally healthy) than doing two -- just one session of anesthesia, one surgery, one hospital stay. 2) Both hips were very bad and if he did one at a time I would continue to limp between surgeries so would take longer to get back to a normal gait. 3) He would be able to be sure that both legs were the same length and avoid any leg length differential problems ( this does happen some times when one has hip replacements done at different times). 4) Just one recuperation period needed! So I could return to normal activities faster.

For me it was a shock to have him recommend BTHR but I am 100% delighted that I chose to go with that recommendation! My "new" hips are now nearly 12 years old and are totally wonderful! I rarely even think of them .... until I log in here

If you click on any Bilateral banner here in pre op or over in the recovery section you will get a list of all the bilateral threads. Feel free to read any/all of them. The link to mine is in my signature though it is old and does not get updated.

 

[Supersub]

Hello
Nice to see another potential bilateral patient. Good luck with the process and finding a experienced surgeon you can work with. There’s not that many bilateral hippies around so I’m interested in any info I can get about others’ experiences.
I’m in the UK and still waiting for my op date - hopefully by mid February.
Wishing you well Kansetsuen