Serving Up A Comeback

For Brandon, a lifelong tennis player and instructor, hip pain slowly stole the life he loved. What began as post-match discomfort became constant pain from a congenital hip imbalance, until even walking required careful calculation. "I went from being an athlete to counting the number of steps I could take," Brandon recalls.

After imaging showed severe joint deterioration, Brandon met with Dr. Jakub Tatka to discuss a total hip replacement using a minimally invasive anterior approach. Though hesitant about surgery, Brandon was immediately reassured. Dr. Tatka explained exactly what to expect and delivered on every promise. "He didn't oversell anything," Brandon says.

Equally powerful was the care surrounding the surgery. "Part of the magic of all of this is his team," Brandon says. "His team runs like a machine." From nursing and anesthesia to physical therapy and follow-up care, every step was seamless. On the way to surgery, Brandon even discovered his Uber driver had undergone a double hip replacement with Dr. Tatka! An unexpected vote of confidence for the unique surgery he was about to undergo.

Brandon's hip replacement was a success. His surgery was at 11am, and by 6pm he was headed home with a walker that he felt he didn't even need. "I had zero pain and could walk totally normally," said Brandon. A month and a half later, he was back on the court playing the sport he loved. His tennis friends, including a research physician in NYC, were stunned with his mobility. "Dr. Tatka gave me my life back," Brandon says. "I almost cried."