"I may have qualified for two, three in my lifetime with the materials that are available," explained Lori. "But basically, by my mid-60s, I would have been in a wheelchair, and that wasn't an option for me either."
Surgeons are now using a technique to allow younger patients to hold on to their original joints. At Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, doctors perform what's called a pelvic osteotomy.
"We would make controlled cuts around the pelvis, and we move it around and make the socket deeper," said Dr. Javad Parvizi, an orthopedic surgeon for Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.
By reshaping the hip socket, doctors provide a new area of cartilage for the joint. The arthritis and pain start to go away and the range of motion improves drastically.
Doctors say rehabilitation can last up to six months, but once a patient recovers they have no restrictions.
"I can pretty much do whatever I set my mind to doing," said Lori.
Now there's no stopping Lori, who hopes it's smooth sailing from now on.
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