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Mayo Clinic surgeon hopes to ease McCook woman's pain
A Mayo Clinic surgeon plans to realign the hips of a young McCook woman, in an effort to alleviate pain and dysfunction caused by a bicycle accident 19 years ago.
Dr. Robert Trousdale will perform a periacetabular osteotomy on Emilynn Karre's right hip during surgery May 30 at Rochester, Minn., Methodist Hospital.
On March 10, 1984, 8-year-old Emilynn suffered closed-head brain injuries in a bike-riding accident in McCook's Barnett Park. The brain trauma resulted in paralysis of the right side of Emilynn's body, a condition she compensated for by shifting her hip and pelvic bone and swinging and dragging her leg to walk.
The unnatural gait has caused hip dysplasia (in which the hip joint is not positioned well in the hip socket) and constant pain over the years.
Pain pills no longer do the trick, Emilynn said, and cortisone shots are only a temporary fix. She's too young for hip replacement, and a hip fusion is a last resort and very permanent.
Emilynn's McCook doctor, Dr. John Grove, referred her to orthopedic specialist Drs. D.A. Sokolowski and John Wright in Kearney. Because of additional complexities of Emilynn's case, Dr. Wright sent Emilynn's files to Dr. Trousdale at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Trousdale is one of only four orthopedic surgeons in the world to perform PAOs, Emilynn said, one is in Arizona, another in California. The third is in Switzerland.
PAO involves surgically cutting the hip bone and reorienting it and the hip socket into a position that will better fit the ball of the hip joint. The goal is to improve the way the ball fits into the socket, Emilynn said.
Emilynn will be in the hospital for five days. "I'll be able to walk out of the hospital," she said, and come home for a summer of recuperation and physical therapy.
An aide will help with daily tasks and exercise, such as walking with a walker and arm crutch.
Emilynn plans to return to her job as assistant bookkeeper at McCook National Bank -- where she has worked since 1996 -- in the fall.
Constant and worsening pain has limited Emi's life for many years. She hopes the surgery will make her life easier, letting her walk with a more natural gait, exercise, lose some weight. "I just want to not be in pain when I walk," she said.
Emilynn's next hurdle will be checking into straightening out her right arm and wrist. She can't use the arm and hand, but it would be nice, she said, if the tendons could be released and her arm hung more naturally at her side.
Emilynn has adjusted well to physical limitations through the years, according to her mother, Carol. Very delicate, intricately-painted ceramic bird houses and figurines created by Emilynn decorate Carol's living room.
"Em's learning a new craft -- plastic canvas -- with just her left hand," Carol said. "It's amazing how patient she is, how she adapts to learn new skills and find new talents."
Carol will accompany her daughter to Minnesota, taking two weeks off her job at Automotive Sales and Service. Vicky King of McCook, whose late husband, Brad, received cancer treatments at the Mayo Clinic, helped Carol find lodging within walking distance of the clinic and hospital.
"I really appreciate Mom, and Don (Mason), taking time to go with me to Mayo," Emilynn said.
The surgery, the anesthesia, the recuperation, demanding physical therapy -- they all scare her, Emilynn admits. But she also admits. laughing, that she watches entirely too many medical shows on television.
"I know I'm in good hands," she said, "And I hope my story can help someone else with hip dysplasia."