New Hope for Local Father Years After Crash With Help From Dr. Eric Tannenbaum
"In 2016, I had a motorcycle wreck. I had 14 surgeries in a year and a half. I was in the hospital so long that it wasn’t until I started getting better that my hip pain became a problem," says Shelbyville father Heath Ensminger, 46. "I was thinking, 'I won't be able to take my son sledding; I won't be able to go out and build a snowman with him; I won’t be able to do anything,' and now, all that's changed."
What changed was undergoing a rare type of procedure called hip preservation on Oct. 4, one that few surgeons in the state offer and only one surgeon in the region provides. That surgeon is joint and sports medicine specialist Dr. Eric Tannenbaum of Southern Indiana Orthopedics, who has performed over 100 hip preservations.
"Heath's only other option would to be to continue living with his pain until his hip joint completely wore out, eventually requiring a total hip replacement," says Dr. Tannenbaum.
Heath had damage to his hip joint that was not significant enough for a total hip replacement, yet it was causing him chronic, daily pain. Before seeing Dr. Tannenbaum, Heath wasn't even able to get help from other doctors.
"For people my age, if something like this happens, if they don't know about this option, they're doomed to suffer. That's only going to cause problems in family life, your job, and everything else," Heath explains. "I'm extremely thankful for Dr. Tannenbaum. I couldn’t expect anything better than what’s happened. If anybody would ask me, I would totally recommend it."
From the time Heath initially got his condition checked out to the time the procedure was actually done, it was a total of about six months. During that time, Heath walked with a limp. Once he started walking with a limp, he started overcompensating with the hip and that started other problems.
"From what Dr. Tannenbaum's done until now, I've got my mobility back. I'm able to walk normally. Most won't understand what a big deal that is," explains Heath. "My main thing was my son. When I start telling my son I can't do things with him, there has to be a solution. Dr. Tannenbaum gave me back that time with my son."
Because of the rarity of Heath's procedure, Dr. Tannenbaum has worked to create unique recovery protocols for his patients to ensure the best outcomes.
"Dr. Tannenbaum was a key instrument in my healing. Not only in my surgery and repairing me, but afterward," Heath says. "He also explains everything very, very clearly. Most doctors, they're not going to give you all the facts. He informs you completely, and I'm following his protocol. Everything is going great, and I love it."
If you're suffering from a hip problem that’s outing limits on your lifestyle and quality of life, visit with Dr. Tannenbaum to learn about your options. To schedule an appointment, call (812) 376-9353 or request an appointment online.