Twenty-five years have passed since Beverly McGregor, now age 77, slipped on a patch of black ice and felt her left ankle bend awkwardly beneath her. Doctors inserted three screws to hold the broken ankle together, which worked for several years until age and arthritis created limited ability and increasingly unmanageable pain.
At roughly the same time McGregor was recovering from her fall in Eau Claire, a teenage Mark Herr was only 25 miles in away in Menomonie and already sure of his future career path. After observing an orthopedic surgeon at work, he knew that’s what he wanted to do.
Herr, an orthopedic surgeon at Luther Midelfort, received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and completed an orthopedic internship and residency at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. A foot and ankle fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Ariz., prepared him for his return to Eau Claire, where he ultimately met McGregor.
“Patients should come into my office expecting to be part of a team — I will answer all their questions and form a treatment plan that they are involved in,” Herr says. “Patients are picking their provider, picking the institution, and for that reason, they should only demand and expect the best.”
McGregor felt very comfortable with Herr, whom she described as very patient: “He would tell me anything I wanted to know and would answer any question,” she says.
She appreciated Herr’s desire to exhaust all medical and therapeutic options before considering surgery to alleviate her pain. But after various injections and braces failed to provide relief, they began to discuss surgery, specifically, a total ankle replacement.
A total ankle replacement isn’t for everyone, but McGregor’s age and arthritis patterns indicated she would be a good candidate for the arthroplasty.
Total ankles are, unfortunately, perceived as an experimental operation despite the fact that theyve been happening since the ’70s,” Herr explains. “The current generation of prosthetic ankles is hugely successful with 83 percent of recipients experiencing little or no pain.”
When presented with the options of fusion or a total replacement, McGregor joked that either would put a crimp in her ballet career. But after Herr assured her that almost anything would be possible with a prosthetic ankle, the feisty senior smacked her hands together with a smile and said, “That’s it. That’s what we’ll do.”
McGregor’s surgery on January 25 went without a hitch, and she soon was scheduled to begin physical therapy. Luther Midelfort’s Rehabilitation Services and Orthopedic Center work together to create successful patient recovery programs.
McGregor is proud to show off how well her ankle can twist and roll in all directions. Herr says her recovery is excellent.
“My ankle moves easily, and I can walk without pain, McGregor says. “Everybody who hears about it knows someone who could benefit from a new ankle, and I say they should not hesitate. It is so worth it.”
McGregor’s life is open to all kinds of activities now, and her new ankle is expected to be fully functional and pain-free for the rest of it. Herr says that the energetic McGregor can dance, walk, jog or swim. “You can do just about anything you want to now,” he told her playfully, “aside from parachuting.”
###Caption: A new ankle has helped Beverly McGregor stay active and pain-free. One way she keeps busy is by volunteering at the front desk at Luther Midelfort.
Sidebar: Orthopedic Center reaches out The Orthopedic Center at Luther Midelfort is staffed by board-certified orthopedic surgeons treating a full range of patient needs including:
- Foot and ankle
- General orthopedics
- Hand and upper extremity
- Pediatric orthopedics
- Sports medicine
- Total joint (replacement, rebuilding hip and knee)
In addition, physicians see patients at Luther Midelfort Chippewa Valley in Bloomer, Luther Midelfort Northland in Barron and Luther Midelfort Oakridge in Osseo.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Luther Midelfort’s Orthopedic Center at 715-838-6161.
