Guillermo Returns to An Active Lifestyle After Hip Resurfacings

"Hello, I'm Guillermo Spinelli. I am 52 years old and at 44, I was diagnosed with femoeroacetabular impingement and obviously had significant osteoarthritis in my hip. I had been developing this since my adolescence and when it was diagnosed I already had many limitations in mobility and pain. At 44 years old, I made the decision to have arthroscopy on both hips.... And the truth is that it was a very good solution. It allowed me five or six years to return to sports, life, soccer, what I like. But really when I was diagnosed, the wear and tear of the joint had been done. I had less than 1 millimeter of joint space in my hip...

So, I wanted to make this video to serve in some form of an example for others... Getting to the point, last year we are in 2023, in 2022 I have already reached a moment that pain was caused by osteoarthritis. Another limitation was my flexibility, I couldn't run since the beginning of the year. I had to make the decision to leave football as well.

A possibility appeared at the American Hip Institute in the United States, in Chicago, which is an institution specialized in the hip and they carryout innovative practices. One of the procedures they do is called a Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, this a procedure that is around 15 years old, yet is not very well known. This is not a total hip replacement, that we are familiar with. It allows a person to move pain free and return to an active life afterwards, and return to sports. Returning to sports was one of my concerns.

I had surgery in October of 2022 last year. And truth is that the experience was excellent and well that's why I wanted to share it. I will later share some videos of how I was before surgery and then four to five months after the operation. Today, I am already living a 100% normal life, before the surgery it was difficult for me to even bend down to grab and object. The pain would start after walking five blocks, after stretching, and I even avoided the curbs on the sidewalk. Two months after the surgery, I was back to living life, and after another month I was living a 100% normal life.

I followed the physical therapy timelines provided by the American Hip Institute and I was running and playing football again without pain at 6 months. Day after day I had been regaining my flexibility. I have a little more room for improvement, but you will see improvement from where I am now to where I was before surgery. I am very happy with these results.

My goal was to share the experience. A final thank you to Dr. Daniel Acevedo here in Uruguay, who recommended me to the American Hip Institute and in particular Dr. Domb. The truth is that Dr. Domb is specialist in this field, who has a foundation that continuously innovates and researches this area of medicine. The development at the American Hip Institute is very good and I further thank to Dr. Acevedo for the recommendation, the entire American Hip Institute for their excellent service, and Dr. Domb who is the leader of this institution. Another thank you must be given to Emiliano Lorigados, who is a great friend and specialized physiotherapists in hip recovery, who helped me with physical therapy before and after my procedures. Another thank you for Pablo Lamanna, who was also with me throughout the entire process, and obviously my family and my partner who supported me at all times."

- Guillermo Spinelli