MAKINGIT HAPPEN

All Hip Replacements AreNot Created Equal

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JUNE 2007

Injury LeadsStacey Hardin to Her Dream Job

The Secretto A Great

Beach Body

Hardin told him she’d love to become atrainer — if she was 10 years younger. She wasnearing 40, but Benedict kept telling her shecould do it. Her parents had both been chiro-practors and had placed an emphasis on goodhealth, and she had worked for their practicefor several years. Thinking her backgroundwas pulling her in that direction, she decidedto pursue her personal trainer certification.

“I had not worked in several years becauseof my children,” she said, “and I did not wantto go back to doing what I was doing.”

Hardin had been managing a doctor’s office,which she described as a stressful position.

“I wanted to get into something I could reallyenjoy,” she said.

So she studied under Benedict’s tutelage,shadowed him for six months and earned hercertification in 1999. She began working withBenedict at The Training Studio, and after sixmonths she approached him about becoming abusiness partner.

She bought into the business in 2000 andThe Training Studio moved into a unique,bright, two-story studio space on St. MatthewsAvenue.

“It has just been an incredible experience,”she said.

Benedict was her inspiration, Hardin said,and without his guidance and support, sheknows she would not have found such a grati-fying and fulfilling career.

And, through example, he got her interestedin triathlons. Benedict has completed threeIronmans, but it turns out they’re not forHardin.

“I tried — the water and I don’t get along,”she said. “I had a couple of bad experiences asa child, so I actually have a fear of the water.”

Afraid or not, she participated in a totalimmersion clinic to improve her swimming.That was when she injured her hip, an injurythat seemed minor at the time but quicklyworsened.

Hardin was in the middle of marathontraining, and although sore, she kept runningon it. The injury went undiagnosed for almosta year, she said, and became so painful shecould not use the elliptical or ride a bike.

“Everything became so painful,” she said.It turned out she had torn the cartilage in her

hip, and running on it caused her to develop

arthritis. First, she had a hip arthroscopy totrim torn cartilage. The procedure frequentlydelays or completely eliminates the need for ahip replacement, and is done by making asmall incision through which the surgeon canthread a camera to see inside the area.

“Because my arthritis had progressed

KHF 16 June 2007

DEPARTMENTS cover story

MAKINGIT HAPPEN

Written by Tracy Lightfoot Photography by John Sommers II

Injury leads StaceyHardin to her dream job

A nightmare of an injury woke Stacey Hardin fromher dream job. Fortunately, an innovative proce-dure had her dreaming again before she evenstarted counting sheep.

Hardin had started seeing trainer Dale Benedictin 1998 at The Training Studio in St. Matthews.

“I was like a completely different person after sixmonths,” Hardin said. “Not just physically —mentally and emotionally, it just changed mywhole life.”

One day, she told Benedict she envied his career.“You’ve got the greatest job in the world,” she toldhim. “To see the changes that you make insomebody has got to be the most rewarding thingin the world.”

to the point it had, it didn’t helpmine,” Hardin said. “So the nextthing was hip replacement.”

She made an appointment withher orthopedist, but before thatday arrived, she read an articleabout a new procedure in thepaper. It had been performed forthe last decade, but not inLouisville. Dr. JonathanYerasimides is the first, andcurrently only, surgeon in thestate who uses the anteriorapproach for total hip replace-ment.

The anterior approach is lessinvasive than the common antero-lateral approach, but fewsurgeons are trained in thetechnique and it does riskdamaging a major nerve, thelateral femoral cutaneous.

In the anterolateral approach,surgeons separate the hipabductor muscles, the gluteusmedius and minimus, to reach thejoint. Because muscle is cut fromthe bone, Hardin said, you losestability and the recovery period ismuch longer.

But, the anterior approachutilizes an existing soft tissue areato access the joint, in an area highon the front of the thigh, betweenthe sartorius and tensor fascialatae. The incision is 4 inches long,much smaller than is seen in otherapproaches.

Armed with information aboutthis new procedure, Hardininquired about it at her appoint-ment. After consulting withseveral doctors, they decided shewould be fine and was a “perfectcandidate” for the procedure —especially because she wanted torun.

Because Hardin did want to runagain, the surgeons elected tocustomize her new joint. Mostreplacements are a titanium stemconnecting the femur to thefemoral head, which is made ofceramic. The liner of the joint isusually ceramic as well. Hardin,however, has a cross-polymer linerbecause it offers better shockabsorption.

Hardin said the only downside isthat her replacement will likelywear out sooner than the tradi-tional ceramic. Doctors estimateshe’ll need a new one in about 15years, but she hopes having itdone at a younger age will alsohelp her rebound faster.

And, as far as rebounds go —Hardin was back to work a fewweeks later and started doingweight training six weeks later.

“I started off very slow — every-thing was body weight,” she said.

Her surgery was performed lastNovember, and Hardin was able toresume running in January.

In fact, she completed the TripleCrown of Running and the Meijer

Derby Festival miniMarathon thisyear.

“My hip did not bother methroughout any of the races,” shesaid. “The worst problem wasthat I couldn't breathe!”

Although her cardiovascularsystem had “plummeted,” Hardindid prepare for surgery by doing alot of strengthening exercisesleading up to it. She was happywith her miniMarathon time,3:06:46, and plans to participate inseveral triathlons in the summerand fall.

Hardin continues to teach at TheTraining Studio alongsideBenedict, where they offer privatetraining, group weight trainingcircuit classes, a massage thera-pist, active isolated stretching andmulti-sport training.

The multi-sport training ispopular, with a large runninggroup — about 130 this year,Hardin said. The 2007 list ofupcoming events includesIronman Louisville, various turkeytrots and the Columbus Marathonand Half-Marathon.

To contact Benedict or Hardin,visit their Web site atwww.thetrainingstudio.com or call(502) 893-4024.

DEPARTMENTS cover story

June 2007 KHF 17

Tracy Lightfoot is a local writer whocrops up in various area publica-tions. She just completed her firsthalf-marathon and plans to run an-other in the fall, and enjoys local 5kraces for the camaraderie and theopportunity to support good causes.She's finishing her bachelor of sci-ence degree at the University ofLouisville, lives in Jeffersontownwith her husband, two children andthree dogs. She can be reached attf.lightfoot@insightbb.com

After shadowing Dale Benedict for six months, Stacey Hardin earned her certificationin 1999. She began working with Benedict at The Training Studio and became abusiness partner in 2000. The studio is now located in a unique, bright, two-storystudio space on St. Matthews Avenue.