Gerry Mikalauskas’ Hip Replacement Journey: A Coach's Road to Recovery

After years of painful arthritis and difficulty with everyday activities, Gerry Mikalauskas, a local high school basketball coach, decided it was time to address his joint issues. His x-rays showed severe bone-on-bone arthritis in both hips, making standing on his feet all day to coach “torture.” 

When physical therapy and injections didn’t provide relief, Gerry chose to undergo double hip replacement surgery. Dr. John Martino, orthopaedic surgeon at Carilion, recommended an anterior approach for the surgeries to minimize muscle damage and get Gerry back to his active lifestyle as quickly as possible. 

Gerry underwent the first surgery in September 2023 and the second just 6 months later in February 2024. In the video, Gerry shares how life has dramatically improved post-surgery and says, "Stairs aren’t an issue anymore. I was out there shoveling during an ice storm; it didn’t hurt. I’ve even been chopping wood for the winter. It’s just a new life." 

Dr. Martino refers to joint replacement as a "quality-of-life surgery" in the video and says, "Patients can expect to have better quality of life, less pain and more mobility. That’s why we do what we do here at Carilion.” 

To learn more on improving quality-of-life care like this, visit CarilionClinic.org/joints.