“I’m alive and kickin’,” Logansport resident Rick Scott said after a round of golf Saturday afternoon.
Scott plays golf six out of seven days of the week. A retired elementary physical education teacher at Landis Elementary School, Scott has been physically active all his life.
“I’ve always played sports,” he said.
He played football for Ball State University, played basketball and baseball in high school and participated in a slow-pitch softball league every summer for several years.
But deteriorating cartilage in his right hip at the end of last year caused the 55-year-old to slow down.
“It was very painful,” Scott said. “I couldn’t walk anymore straight forward. It was painful to walk up the stairs.”
He had been a referee for basketball, but the pain forced him to give it up.
Scott was prescribed pain pills and inflammatory medication, but nothing made him feel 100 percent.
After a few months, Scott said he decided he had to do something about the pain he described as a 9 1/2 on a 10-point scale.
A friend recommended he see Dan Daluga, an orthopedic surgeon at Unity Healthcare in Lafayette.
“I was lucky,” Scott said. “It only went on for about three to four months. Some people put up with it for years.”
Daluga suggested Scott undergo a non-invasive surgery only he and four other orthopedic surgeons in the United States are currently performing.
On Jan. 30, Scott arrived at St. Elizabeth in Indianapolis for his surgery.
He had an incision of two-and-a-quarter inches. No tendons, ligaments or muscles were cut, Scott said. Daluga instead moved the muscle to gain access to Scott’s hip.
Scott recovered quickly, and he was able to walk the day after the surgery was performed, a feat the old surgical procedure would have never allowed.
He remained in the hospital an extra day because of illness from the anesthetic.
“Some people get out the same day of the surgery,” he said.
For the first week, Scott walked with a cane, but seven to eight days later Daluga told him he didn’t need it any more. He was driving within 17 days.
Scott was impressed with the new surgery option he was able to experience first-hand.
“Twenty to twenty-five years ago, what would have happened to me?” he said. “Would I be crippled? There wouldn’t be many options.”
Scott traveled to Florida seven-and-a-half weeks after the surgery to do what he loves: play golf for five days.
Scott says his hip feels better every day. He does have discomfort now and then, but nothing compared to the pain he felt before. He says he would recommend the new procedure to anyone.
Scott said the surgery should last him 15 to 20 years, a good thing because now he can go back to doing the things he enjoys most — playing golf and spending time with his wife, Peggy, and daughters, Natalie and Abby, who followed in their father’s footsteps. Abby, 20, plays golf at IUPUI and Natalie, 17, plays golf for Logansport High School.
One thing’s for sure.
“I feel lucky that I’m back to normal,” Scott said.
Melissa Soria may be reached at (574) 732-5143 or via e-mail at melissa.soria@pharostribune.com
Local News
Back on his feet
<b>Logansport resident receives non-invasive hip surgery</b>
- Local News
-
-
A century habitat
To judge by the stone foundation under the house at 1508 Miles St., the house was built at least a hundred years ago. But it’s looking like new after Century Career Center students spent this spring renovating it for a Habitat for Humanity beneficiary family.
-
Senior housing planned
An Indianapolis company looking to bring senior housing to Logansport plans to meet with Mayor Ted Franklin next week to see if the city would help in making their project a reality.
-
Fire Stone Grill opening weeks away
At long last, the Fire Stone Grill is really going to open.
The former pole barn on the corner of Third Street and Eel River Road was remodeled and ready to open in December of 2009, but disagreements between city officials and Fire Stone’s owner, Bernadene Thimlar, stalled the opening until this spring.
-
Restoring a piece of Miami County circus history
PERU — Miami County historian Kreig Adkins remembers the days when there was a chance you’d be driving down U.S. 31 and see elephants.
-
Mall-based schools offer second chance for at-risk students
Jayne Carter spends her mornings at a shopping mall earning her high school degree.
It may sound like a teenager’s dream, but for Carter, 18, and her classmates, it’s a second chance.
A year ago, Carter was so far behind in school and struggling in so many ways, that she came perilously close to dropping out. -
Early intervention may deter later dropouts
At the kindergarten roundup this spring at West Goshen Elemetary School, teachers and administrators noticed something different: There seemed to be significantly more Hispanic children with parents who spoke both English and Spanish.
-
Farm Bureau to launch young farmers club
Cass County’s Farm Bureau is launching a club this summer aimed at getting young farmers more involved in the future of farming.
-
County approves $57,000 in additional funding
Judge Rick Maughmer’s office handles more than 80 cases per day in Cass County Superior Court II. Judge Thomas Perrone handles a little more in Superior Court I. Circuit Judge Leo Burns’ cases are longer and, at times, tedious.
There’s plenty of work to go around, just not enough people. -
Search and rescue: Logansport native, dogs on FEMA task force
Logansport native April Walker-Stemple knew she wanted to pursue some line of work involving animals, but little did she know that would lead to having a pair of trained German shepherds and being part of a search and rescue team in the Rocky Mountains.
-
Property lawsuit pending against accused killer
A judge will soon rule whether a pending property lawsuit against a 76-year-old accused killer should be stricken from the records.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Raw Video: Deadly Bombing at Yemen Parade Preps
Professor: Chinese Activist's 'Spirit Is Good'
Ring of Fire Eclipse Seen in U.S., Asia
Golden Gate Bridge Celebrates 75 Years
G-8 Seeks Unity on Euro-debt Crisis, Iran
Prosecutors: Trio Planned to Attack Obama's HQ
Obama: G8 Unified in Stance on Iran, Syria
