Extraordinary Athlete Battles Back After Hip Replacement

The story of Jayne Peterlin’s new hip is not a typical joint replacement story, but then again, Jayne is not an ordinary person. She is a 58-year-old competitive multisport amateur athlete who faced serious adversity before fighting her way back to competing and winning! She also happens to be a valuable team member at one of California’s top institutes for joint replacement. Jayne is sharing her story about how relentless rehabilitation enabled her to declare victory over a debilitating condition.

Jayne’s ordeal began in April 2021 when she was experiencing pain in her hip. While this may be a nuisance to anyone else, it is a big deal for an ultramarathon runner who is well in tune with her body (Jayne completed the 100-mile Western States Endurance Run in one day in 2019!). An X-ray didn’t show any problem, but Jayne followed up by getting a cortisone shot in her hip joint. Instead of alleviating the pain, she could barely move the next day. An MRI showed Jayne had a gluteus muscle tear. She had surgery at a Contra Costa County hospital to fix the tear, but again, it did not go as planned. Once inside, the surgeon found Jayne had a serious infection which kept her in the hospital on IV antibiotics for eight days, followed by 12 weeks of IV antibiotics at home.

Upon beginning her recovery from the infection and osteomyelitis (bone infection), Jayne did what world-class amateur athletes do―she researched and found the best strength trainer she could to help get her back in shape. While her early workouts focused on core strengthening, she ultimately got back to running. But despite her hard work and perseverance, something was still very wrong.

Right Place. Right Time. Right Doctor.

Jayne has worked at Washington Health for 22 years and is now the senior coordinator for orthopedics. In this role, she is responsible for procuring all equipment, instrumentation, and implants used by the orthopedic surgeons at Washington Health and its Institute for Joint Restoration and Research (IJRR). What an appropriate career for someone whose pastimes and passions revolve around reaching their top physical performance for fun, fitness and competition.

In April 2023, Jayne had a CT with contrast to investigate the cause of her worsening hip pain. Within 30 minutes of arriving home from the imaging session, she received an urgent call from orthopedic surgeon, John Dearborn, MD, founder and medical co-director of the IJRR. Dr. Dearborn alerted Jayne that she had avascular necrosis (AVN) of her femoral head. The ball-shaped end of her thigh bone within the hip joint was dying due to lack of blood supply! Jayne had to immediately stop bearing weight on that leg for fear of fracture and was scheduled for an emergency total hip replacement days later.

By now you may realize Jayne is not your average joint replacement patient. Keeping her body functioning well is central to her ultra-active lifestyle. While the IJRR provides comprehensive information about joint replacement and rehabilitation, Jayne did further online research on additional treatments to enhance her recovery.

See Jayne Run

After two years fighting crippling pain and serious infections in her hip, Jayne’s hip replacement and recovery were a major success. Dr. Dearborn was able to finally repair her torn gluteus muscle with a dermal graft and replace her diseased, damaged hip with a state-of-the-art prosthesis (just like the ones she orders for all Washington Health and IJRR patients).

Three weeks after surgery she was off the pain medications she had relied on. “I literally have no pain now and there is nothing I can’t do!” said Jayne. “Dr. Dearborn really dialed me in and supported my nontraditional therapies which turned out to really work for me.”

Jayne is back to winning. Her recent events included a Spartan obstacle course race and a mountain bike race where she took first place in both, and a sprint triathlon where she came in second. In fact, Jayne is back to her intense workouts with her trainer, practicing Bikram yoga, snowboarding, and even spending a week slaloming at a Florida water skiing camp with former women champions of the sport!

While Jayne and her story are clearly extraordinary, the vast number of patients seen by Dr. Dearborn are not nearly as dramatic. Hopefully, the lessons Jayne learned about perseverance can bring inspiration and insights to other joint replacement candidates. When imaging did not uncover the serious issues with her hip, Jayne worked closely with her physicians to undergo further tests. She was wholly committed to a comprehensive rehabilitation plan that resulted in her complete recovery. Jayne is a testament that when tapping your personal strengths, fighting external barriers, and having the right surgeon and clinical support staff, you can overcome anything.

To learn more about Dr. Dearborn or the Institute for Joint Restoration and Research at Washington Health, go to WashingtonHealth.com/IJRR