Mako Hip Surgery Provides Long-Term Pain Relief [Mike Kervin]

This video features Mike Kervin sharing his experience with Mako hip surgery at Brookings Health System. Mike discusses his hip pain, the treatment process and how the surgery has improved his mobility and quality of life. The video highlights the patient-centered care, recovery process and long-term results of Mako hip surgery.

  • Effective Pain Relief: Mako hip surgery helped stop chronic hip pain that affected daily activities like walking, hunting and biking.
  • Expert, Personalized Care: The surgical team, led by Dr. Dressander, provided clear explanations, supportive guidance and one-on-one attention throughout the process.
  • Smooth Recovery: Recovery was well-supported by both the surgical and physical therapy teams, with guidance tailored to individual progress.
  • Coordinated Follow-Up: Patients receive timely, organized follow-up care without needing to leave town, ensuring long-term support and monitoring.
  • Improved Mobility and Lifestyle: Long-term results include significantly reduced pain and improved mobility, enabling patients to return to active lifestyles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Mako hip surgery is a robotic-assisted procedure that replaces damaged hip joints with precision, aiming to reduce pain and improve mobility. Patients experience personalized surgical planning, enhanced accuracy and targeted recovery support.

Hip surgery may be recommended if chronic pain limits daily activities such as walking, biking, or hunting, and non-surgical treatments like medication or physical therapy no longer provide relief. Evaluation includes X-rays and clinical assessments by an orthopedic specialist.

Non-surgical alternatives may include physical therapy, anti-inflammatory medications, activity modification and joint injections. These options may relieve symptoms temporarily but are less likely to address severe joint damage or long-term pain.

Recovery typically involves guided physical therapy, home exercises and regular follow-up visits. Patients often notice significant pain reduction within weeks, with full mobility improvements over several months. One-on-one attention from staff ensures support throughout the process.

Yes. Patients report long-term pain relief, improved mobility and high satisfaction with the procedure. Risks exist, as with any surgery, but careful planning, robotic precision and coordinated care reduce complications and enhance outcomes.

Video Transcript

Hi, my name's Mike Kervin or Michael Kervin. And I am retired, and I live here in Brookings. I like bike riding, hunting, work with kids in the outdoors and stuff, but that's pretty much it.

How long did you have hip pain?

It'd been hurting for probably, major hurting to the point where it affected my walk and affected my attitude and stuff for probably about a year and a half or so. I turkey-hunt a lot, and I was asking one of the guys I was turkey-hunting with. I said, "Do you remember me limping and hurting?" And he's like, "Yeah." He says, "You were complaining about having to, you know, carry this." Says, "We thought it was just you complaining." And I'm like, "Well, I was." And I finally, I just couldn't take it anymore where it hurt just to walk.

Did you try any other treatments before surgery?

No, I'm a little old-fashioned on that. Yeah, I took the ibuprofen and did that as needed. Unfortunately, it gets to the point where I was taking it like candy and can't do that. So that's one of the things too that I knew I just had to stop and get it fixed right. And I didn't know the results would be as good as they have been.

What was your impression of Dr. Dressander?

Really nice. I mean, he reminded me a little bit of me, you know, and that, you know, every question he answers, he gives the story, so you know behind it.

How did Dr. Dressander determine you needed hip surgery?

He did, you know, the X-rays and, you know, went through the normal...There he did show me the X-rays and my wife was with me, I think, and we went through and saw that, and he pretty much told me what has proven to be true is he basically made the pain stop, not completely, and not walk on water type stop, but it's not a constant pain.

How did the staff treat you?

Oh, excellent. Like I said, I've been here before obviously for different things. It'd be almost like if it was a family member taking care of us.

How was your recovery?

Recovery went fine. It has been our common theme as I go back and get my, you know, three-month check and six-month check. And then a few weeks ago, we did the blessed with Holy Water, you're done, get outta here, son. But the pain stopped, and that was one thing that we thought...and it's continued the whole year, you know, to not be that pain. Occasionally, you know, if I ride, you know, 20-plus miles one day, the next day I might be hurting. You know, if I walk the dog, you know, then the dog walks me and is pulling on the leash. Well, there's times and then that'll be like, dang it. You know, it's sore, but it's not debilitating.

What did you appreciate most?

Well, that it worked. But I think the most is Dressander's attitude towards the whole thing, you know, is like I said, it was like, you know, the guy who lives next door brings a couple of beers over and say, "Hey, how are you doing?" But I appreciate the fact that he was always positive, you know. He asked about the pain. One time I came in because the ankle was acting up so much and I think, because I got this part fixed, you know, that's kinda like the chain reaction here. And so when I was here, then I got an appointment with Prusa that same day, and he gave me the shot in the ankle, and that was the first time I remember in over a year that I could go down the stairs first thing in the morning and walk down the stairs. Not one step, one step, one step, because, you know, everything was hurting so much.

How did the physical therapy team help your recovery?

I did go to PT. He, you know, was in contact with Dressander obviously, and went three or four times. And he's like, "You don't need this, you know." He says, "You're doing fine." He said, "Just keep doing your stuff at home." And, you know, then I had the stretch bands and stuff, and on the sheet, I did what they told me to do and I did that. But I agreed, there wasn't a need because there wasn't the pain, but I'm sure because I was doing it, that probably lessened the pain. It all worked together, you know, with the actual physical stuff of fixing the hip, to the muscle stretching and all that stuff.

Would you recommend surgery at Brookings Health System?

Well, I'd say it works. And it's not the...you know, you read the stories or watch "60 Minutes" or something and they're always taking people off to, you know, super hospitals and stuff. And I got wonderful care right here. Never had to leave town, you know, had people supporting what I was doing and needed to do. The follow-up was excellent. You know, it was just come in and see 'em and get the appointments. I mean, even to the point one day where I said, "Well, I'm gonna have to come back and get a shot in the ankle." She's like, "Well, whoa, whoa, wait, let's see what they got on their schedule." And called back to the back and got Prusa was available and she set me up, and in 10 minutes I had an appointment and sitting in the room waiting for her, you know.

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