Josh Lessman is a real live cowboy. Growing up in western Nebraska, he was riding horses when he was six, and entering the rodeo scene by the time he was 12. That led to a full-ride rodeo scholarship to the University of Wyoming.

After graduation, he was on the professional rodeo circuit for six years. His specialty was steer wrestling. “I was the guy that jumped off a horse and tackled a cow. No rope. Just me wrestling an animal with horns to the ground. After six years, I looked at what I was doing for a living and decided it was time to retire. It was fun, and I don’t regret any of it, but it ended up being hard on my body,” chuckled Josh.

In 2005, Josh and his wife, Jenny Lessman, moved to Detroit Lakes. Jenny is a physician assistant for Sanford, and her job brought them to the area. Josh, an experienced construction worker during the rodeo off-season, decided to start a construction business in the Detroit Lakes area.

He is very active, keeping in shape and staying healthy, however, Josh was having pain in his hips. When he couldn’t stand it anymore, his wife recommended he see her colleague, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Todd Sekundiak. He sees patients in Detroit Lakes and Perham and performs surgery at Perham Health.

“She knew he was good at what he does, and I liked that he was local. I could have my appointments in Detroit Lakes and my surgery at Perham Health. He did my knee replacement nine months prior, and that went great. I was comfortable and was confident that he would get me through hip surgery with the same kind of experience,” Josh said.

During his appointment with Dr. Sekundiak, he found out that he had osteoarthritis and hip dysplasia, and that his hips were equally as bad. Both needed to be replaced.

“I wouldn’t blame his rodeo. I’m sure that contributed, but he is an active guy, and over time, that can catch up with you,” said Dr. Sekundiak.

Two hips replaced in one surgery

Knowing that he would have to have both hips done at some point, Josh talked to Dr. Sekundiak about doing both at the same time.

“I wanted to do both, so I would only have to recover once. I was motivated to do what needed to be done for recovery,” he said.

Having both hips done at the same time is unusual, and having them replaced at 45 years of age is rare also.

The benefits of doing both hips at one time are you only have one anesthetic, one hospitalization, and one recovery. On the downside, it’s twice the operation. It’s trauma on both sides of the body, and it’s a bigger job for the patient to recover.

“It is a bit unusual to do both, but in certain scenarios, there’s a definite orthopedic reason to do both simultaneously. You have to evaluate each patient individually. If they’re young, healthy, vibrant individuals motivated to go through the rehabilitation, then I think it’s a very acceptable option. And Josh fits those criteria,” explained Dr. Sekundiak.

Josh had the option to have the surgery in Fargo, but opted to stay at Perham Health. It was more convenient to be close to home, and his wife recommended it.

Recovery

Most people feel better within five days to two-week range. The first few days are getting over the stress of surgery. Then the first six weeks are getting back to walking normally. The next six weeks are about building endurance with activities like hiking, biking, treadmill, elliptical, and swimming.

“I’ll be honest. The first five days were hard. I spent a lot of time in my bed. But moving is important, so I would get up and walk around with my walker. After the fifth day, every single day I got noticeably better. I could do something more the next day that I couldn’t do as well the day before,” Josh remembered.

Josh’s instructions were to get up, move, and use his hips as much as possible. He used a walker for around six days and then switched to two canes. After two weeks, he was down to just one cane.

A week and a half after surgery, he was back at the community center, walking on the track or using the elliptical machine. He continues to exercise and do what he needs to do to recover.

“I am really happy that I did both at the same time and that the recovery has been amazingly good. I can’t say enough good about everyone at Perham Health. The physical therapists, the nurses, the physician assistants, everybody was great,” Josh said. “Dr. Sekundiak is very good at what he does. The way my hips feel now, I give him all the credit. There’s no more joint pain, so that’s nice.”

Josh’s advice to others

“If your hips are bugging you, make an appointment and find out the options. Doing both hips at the same time isn’t for everyone, but I would 100% do it again.”

“And I was really glad I had the surgery at Perham Health. Everything from the surgery to the recovery was top-notch!”

Dr. Sekundiak’s advice to others

“If you’re having pain in your joints, come in. Don’t live with pain. I want people to know that we can try many non-surgery options to help with your pain or disability, like physical therapy, injections, or a brace.”

“People have a misconception that if they come to see an orthopedic surgeon, we will tell them they need surgery. Instead, we want you to try every other option before surgery,” explained Dr. Sekundiak.

“There are simple things we can do that can change your quality of life.”

“I brag about Perham Health. It has a local feel. It uses top technology and has well-trained people. They will help you get back to your active lifestyle.”

Todd Sekundiak, MD

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