01/14/2026
With two knee replacements, the most recent 12 years ago, Diane thought one knee had reached its life span. Over the course of a year, her knee pain worsened to the point where she could hardly walk. With a stiff knee that caused her to drag her foot, Diane was so uncomfortable that she struggled to step onto a curb, couldn’t swim, and hurt so badly that she lay awake in bed every night. Adding fatigue to the pain of an unbending knee, her grandchildren offered to help her get around with a wheelchair during their vacation. Diane refused the wheelchair, but resolved to seek help when she returned home to Sandusky.
Diane’s primary care physician referred her for physical therapy, but there was no improvement. She was referred to Rob Carlisle II, M.D., orthopedic surgeon, Firelands Physician Group. “As soon as he walked in, I found him to be very personable. He was so kind, thorough and supportive,” Diane said of Dr. Carlisle. “He knew my problem was my hip, not my knee, when he saw me walk.”
“The first thing I do when someone comes to me with knee pain is check their hips. When I met Diane, she shared about her knee replacements and the therapies and medications she tried for knee pain, which did not provide relief. She’s a prime example of why we get hip X-rays,”
Dr. Carlisle said. “Diane was experiencing referred pain in her knee from her hip. Anyone else with a hip that bad may not have been able to get out of bed. She was pushing through it, but it was time to get it fixed.”
He explained to Diane the different ways to go about a total hip replacement, and they agreed on the anterior approach – going through the front of the hip so that tendons and muscles are not disturbed, making for a quicker recovery.
“Diane is like the perfect patient. We were able to identify something she didn’t even know was a problem. We fixed it, relief was immediate, and she is back to doing the things she likes to do. It’s awesome to be a part of that, but it’s not just me doing the surgery. It’s the team in the operating room, the people in the office who help them get scheduled for surgery and the physical therapists who work with the patients. It’s one big Firelands group working to get patients better,” Dr. Carlisle said.
“The second week after surgery, I was back at church and standing, not sitting, with the choir. I carried the walker I was given, didn’t even need it to help me walk. Hip surgery was a blessing to me. I can do what I love without pain, and sleep at night.”
Hear more about Diane's inspiring story here:
https://buff.ly/h0rAqc2
