At one time, hip surgery for an athlete typically meant his career had ended.
For Phil Mantua, 17, that would have been a particularly short career.
After discovering he needed surgery to repair an acute hip injury, Phil and his mother Dawn Mantua drove from their home in Prince George, Va., to Greater Baltimore Medical Center in Towson.
“We wanted Phil to have the best possible doctor to do the surgery,” Dawn Mantua said. They turned to sports medicine specialist Dr. David Buchalter. After examining Phil, Buchalter found he was qualified for a minimally invasive alternative hip surgery that is just gaining a foothold in the United States.
“The hip arthroscopy is a remarkable outpatient procedure that very few surgeons in the country know how to perform. It allows the patient to return home the same day with little to no pain,” Buchalter said. Mantua had his surgery May 10, and after a successful procedure, was home that same night.
“I didn?t really know what was in store for me at all,” Mantua said. “It was scary and I didn?t know if it would heal at all. The surgery was just such a great weight off my shoulders.”
Following just four weeks of crutches and eight weeks of rehabilitation, Phil returned to the soccer field for Our Lady of Good Counsel in Wheaton. Just five months after receiving a career-revitalizing surgery, Mantua was named to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference First Team, a once-unthinkable feat.
Stories like this have become more and more common, thanks to innovative collaborative work by doctors like Buchalter. Former Baltimore Raven Priest Holmes received the surgery several years ago, only to return to the field and lead the league in rushing for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Other professional athletes who have received the surgery include hockey legend Mario Lemieux, golf great Greg Norman and Olympic figure skater Tara Lipinski.
