[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/laura-whitehall-hip-replacement\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/laura-whitehall-hip-replacement\/","headline":"Laura’s Story: Same-Day Hip Replacement Gets Restaurant Owner Back to Her Customers and Family","name":"Laura’s Story: Same-Day Hip Replacement Gets Restaurant Owner Back to Her Customers and Family","description":"

Laura Whitehall, 62, had her right hip replaced in October 2024 after years of pain. The Knox, Pa., restaurant owner is now back to doing what she loves.<\/p>","datePublished":"2025-07-14","dateModified":"2025-08-27","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","name":"UPMC Orthopaedic Care","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/orthopaedic-surgery\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1057336876-e1752263809645.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1057336876-e1752263809645.jpg","height":887,"width":2048},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/laura-whitehall-hip-replacement\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Orthopaedics"],"wordCount":851,"articleBody":"\u201cYou\u2019re not limping around anymore.\u201d This is what regular customers at Big Country Restaurant often say to co-owner Laura Whitehill.She and her husband, Ted, have owned the Knox, Pa., establishment since 2016. Up until 2024, Laura’s hip was causing her terrible pain.Cooking, talking with customers, and driving to and from the restaurant were all becoming unmanageable. She had to physically lift her leg to even climb into her car, and walking up and down steps was all but impossible.\u201cI was hobbling everywhere,\u201d she says. Even customers noticed. They often worried about her.But after a total hip replacement in October of 2024, she\u2019s cooking and baking like a new woman. \u201cI wish I hadn\u2019t waited so long,\u201d says Laura, 62. \u201cI was in so much pain for way too long.\u201dThe Value of a Second OpinionLaura had been going to another health system near her home in Clarion County for years. \u201cThey just weren\u2019t helping me,\u201d she says.In late 2023, she decided to switch to UPMC for primary care. She wound up seeing a physician assistant (PA) who listened carefully to her symptoms and suggested an MRI.Laura’s MRI revealed that she had severe arthritis in her right hip. It was bone on bone, meaning all the joint cushioning was gone.The PA referred Laura right away to orthopaedic surgeon Jacob Smith, DO, at Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Associates – UPMC.Laura wasn\u2019t sure what to expect at the consult with Dr. Smith in September 2024. \u201cHe said something like, \u2018Are you done being in pain?\u2019\u201dShe answered that she was.Laura had six grandchildren, ranging in age from 10 to 23. She also ran a restaurant and tended a garden and didn\u2019t want to spend the rest of her days living this way.When she left the appointment, Laura had a surgery date set for the following month.Preparing for Same-Day Hip Replacement SurgeryBefore the day of surgery, Laura scheduled meals for Sunday specials. She made extra chili, soups, and meatloaf. \u201cI tried to do as much prep work as possible,\u201d she says.Big Country Restaurant is a true family affair. She and her husband run it, but her daughter and two granddaughters work there, as does her grandson when he\u2019s home from college.Her family told her not to worry, that they had it covered. She just needed to focus on feeling better.Laura’s surgery at UPMC Northwest was first thing in the morning on October 7.\u201cAs soon as my legs were awake, they had me up,\u201d she says. The nurse made sure she could use the walker and get to the bathroom. \u201cI was home by 3 o’clock in the afternoon. It was fantastic.\u201dShe did have some pain, but it wasn\u2019t the same kind that she\u2019d been experiencing. \u201cIt was surgery pain,\u201d she says. After a few days, she didn\u2019t need anything more than over-the-counter pain medicine.Climbing stairs was difficult for the first week or so. But she felt determined to sleep in her own bed. \u201cBy about the fourth day, I could come down the steps without cursing,\u201d she jokes.A Smooth RecoveryLaura did her physical therapy through UPMC. A physical therapist visited her house twice a week for three weeks. \u201cIt was nice that no one had to take me somewhere,\u201d she says.She did all the exercises the physical therapist gave her. \u201cI followed all the rules and did what I was supposed to do,\u201d she says. She motivated herself to get rid of the walker as quickly as possible.The physical therapist trained her to use the cane. After about three weeks, she swapped the walker for the cane.Laura was back to work in late November, in time to help make the Thanksgiving take-out dinner. It took until around February 2025 to feel like she had a full range of motion.Finally feeling pain-free has made everything so much better, she says. She no longer dreads being on her feet or trying to contort her body to get into the car. Even customers began to notice and comment on how much better she was getting around.\u201cI don\u2019t really have any limitations,\u201d Laura says. She can bend down to garden, ride a bike, and play ball with her grandchildren. \u201cAll things I couldn\u2019t do before.\u201dHer Advice: Don\u2019t Wait Until the Pain Is So BadLaura grew up on a farm and has been active her whole life.For several years, she tried to do things that she thought might help her arthritis. She would eat healthier and exercise, which can help with arthritis in its early stages.But when a hip joint wears out, those things don\u2019t tend to help anymore.Laura knows one thing: She waited longer than she needed to out of fear.\u201cI had this idea that surgery would tie me down somehow. But I wound up tied down anyway by the pain,\u201d she says. \u201cNow I feel 200% better.\u201dLearn how UPMC approaches joint replacement surgery with the newest, minimally invasive techniques.Sources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2025","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Laura’s Story: Same-Day Hip Replacement Gets Restaurant Owner Back to Her Customers and Family","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/laura-whitehall-hip-replacement\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]