For Scott Bishop, staying active and healthy is a key to success, both professionally and personally. As the lead utility helicopter pilot for a major utility company, Scott patrols transmission grids across Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. His flight days are typically 6-7 hours of time in the air. So when persistent hip pain began getting in the way of his job and daily life, he knew he needed to do something about it.
“A helicopter cockpit is generally not a forgiving space where the flight crew can stretch and change positions,” said Scott.
Outside of work, Scott enjoys running, endurance training, and spending time outdoors with his family. The joys of running, piloting, and enjoying his family all began to slip away as his hip grew increasingly more debilitating.
Scott’s hip pain all began in 2008, when he was hit by a car while on a training bike ride. Remarkably, he went on to complete the Ironman Florida the following year. But ever since then, the hip damage lingered.
“Every year I noticed a gradual worsening of the hip mobility. I had to modify physical activities,” he said. “The long flight days definitely impacted my level of comfort during a normal work day.”
Eventually, Scott learned he was living with bone-on-bone arthritis. MCJR came highly recommended by multiple people, and after meeting with Dr. Joshua Carter, he felt confident that a hip replacement at MCJR was the best way forward. After surgery, Scott was most surprised at how quickly he was in and out of surgery. Everything, from surgery to recovery, has exceeded his expectations.
“The entire staff was excellent — pre-surgery calls to go over everything to the follow-ups. I could not have asked for better care,” said Scott.
Scott feared his mobility and activities would be heavily restricted after hip replacement. But those fears have subsided: four months out, he is already very close to where he was before surgery – this time without pain. Recovery started almost immediately with at-home physical therapy.
“I was able to ditch the walker and the cane after about six days,” he said.
From there, Scott progressed to walking, stationary cycling, and structured outpatient therapy. Then he noticed significant improvement after the 6th week.
“Once my incision healed, I was back at the pool swimming a mile which was, in my opinion, the best therapy. At about 8 weeks I started back slowly at my local gym,” he said.
He has even traveled to go surfing and one-wheeling!
“The daily pain is gone. The ‘hitch in my gitty up’ is gone,” Scott said. “Going through the day without pain is life-changing.”
Today, Scott is feeling thankful and extremely optimistic about his future with his new hip.
“No need to be a hero — living in pain and discomfort is not living,” he said. “Don’t put it off.”
Interested in learning more about hip replacement? Request an appointment today!
