From Aches to Active Again: Helen McKibben

Dr. Helen McKibben, a psychotherapist and author in Washington D.C., had been experiencing hip pain for over 10 years – but she managed it. Recently, on a trip to visit her son in Miami, she realized that her adjustments and compensation could only do so much. Her body was exhausted from the toll; she couldn’t take more than 15 steps without serious and debilitating pain. After nearly a decade of disfunction and an X-ray confirming that physical therapy was no longer sufficient, Helen reached out to her trusted daughter-in-law, who recommended Karim Sabeh, MD, the Director of Adult Reconstruction and Arthroplasty at Mount Sinai Medical Center.

“When I first met Dr. Sabeh, he was humble and gracious. Everyone I interacted with who knew him – the pre-operative physician, even the taxi driver on the way to one of my appointments – admired his work as a surgeon. I felt that respect from his team even as I went into the OR,” Helen says. “I just completely relaxed.”

Dr. Sabeh diagnosed Helen with end-stage osteoarthritis and began to discuss treatment options. Luckily, Helen was considered a perfect candidate for a hip replacement: an active lifestyle with no comorbidities or preexisting health issues.

“We’ve adopted a minimally invasive technique for hip surgery,” Dr. Sabeh says. “It’s a direct anterior approach, which spares the muscle from any damage.”

A minimally invasive approach allows the patient to recover much faster, limits their pain in the post-operative stage, and enables them to enter the early stages of rehabilitation quickly. In fact, walking two hours after the surgery is common. This is because there is less trauma to the body, since the procedure avoids disrupting the patient’s soft tissue.

“This technique also ensures we have a perfect placement of the implant,” Dr. Sabeh says.

After her procedure, Helen felt the effects of the technique immediately.

“I was walking within hours after the surgery. I had reinforcement from my physical therapist, but also people like my Uber drivers. They were shocked: ‘You’re not using a cane? Or a walker? How long has it been?’” Helen says, smiling. “’Maybe ten days,’ I replied. It was incredible.”

Helen took her post-operative care seriously, consistently attending Outpatient Rehabilitation at Mount Sinai and continuing her physical therapy at home to ensure Dr. Sabeh’s work remained intact.

“There is a symbiotic relationship between patients and doctors. The trust goes both ways: the patient trusts the physician to perform the procedure, and the doctor trusts the patient to adhere to their responsibilities in the rehabilitation process,” Dr. Sabeh says. “That connection and rapport is what cements our success through the entire process, from diagnosis to post-operative care.”

Now, at the three-month mark, Helen received the news that her implant was fully fused – which is typically a six-month process. This was the shared result of her hard and consistent work in Mount Sinai’s Outpatient Rehabilitation and Dr. Sabeh’s masterful use of the minimally invasive technique.

Helen remains appreciative of her level of care at Mount Sinai Medical Center, especially the collaborative nature of the treatment team approach, which includes her surgeon, nurses, and rehabilitation team. Her advice to anyone seeking a hip replacement: “Don’t wait, go ahead. If you have the instinct that something is wrong, contact Dr. Sabeh. Listen to the doctor’s orders and get your life back.”