For 36 years, Curtis Dunn earned his keep as a firefighter for the city of Arlington, lugging around heavy equipment that took a toll on his body.
Now in his late 60s, this first responder may be as tough as they come, but he knew what might be waiting for him in retirement.
“When you’re on the job, someone is always telling you that every firefighter will end up having shoulder and back surgery, and hip or knee replacement,” said Curtis, who retired in 2012.
After having surgery on his elbow and shoulder, Curtis sought relief with a hip replacement at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center.
“Everyone was very good at what they did. It’s the way they treat you. They were polite and explained everything,” Curtis says. “I’ll tell anybody who will listen that Methodist is the place to go.”
Now this tough guy doesn’t have to endure an arthritic hip and nagging lower back pain anymore.
Curtis got a warm welcome when he visited an Arlington fire station after his surgery.
TOO MUCH TO BEAR
For years, Curtis’ routine involved jogging over three miles a day – that is until his body let him know he needed to walk. Then last fall, pain in his lower back slowed him down even more.
“I thought it was a little back pain and I’d walk through it, but I couldn’t keep going,” he says. “I’d be walking and my left hip would almost give out.”
The pain got worse in the days to come, first when Curtis attended a five-day conference of the International Association of Firefighters in Boston, followed by a fundraiser in Alabama for the Firefighter Cancer Support Network, an advocacy group he serves as vice president of Western states.
“I knew I had to do something,” he says after enduring a 5K, making the rounds at the convention hall, and powering through it all with over-the-counter pain medication.
When Curtis got home, he had an MRI showing severe arthritis in his hip joint and immediately set up an appointment with Shane Seroyer, MD, orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff at Methodist Mansfield.
Curtis’ diagnosis didn’t surprise his surgeon.
“Firefighting is a very demanding job. You’re climbing into buildings, up and down ladders,” Dr. Seroyer says. “When you do something very physical for that long, you have higher risks of having osteoarthritis.”
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NO TURNING BACK
Arthritis is painful inflammation that results when cartilage breaks down inside the joints. That ultimately leads to bones rubbing against each other, and in Curtis’ case, necessitates a hip replacement.
“It’s a progressive thing,” Dr. Seroyer says said. “Once you have it, you have it.”
Curtis decided to proceed with surgery on December 10, 2024.
“The experience was wonderful, from the time I walked in the office door for my pre-surgical appointment, through the required EKG, and through all the paperwork,” he says.
During the surgery, Curtis appreciated how the staff kept his wife informed about what was happening every step of the way. He also sang the praises of spinal anesthesia, which spared him from feeling groggy or confused afterward.
Within four hours, the staff had Curtis up and walking. And after a night in the hospital, he came home with all the instructions he needed to fully recuperate. He also receives regular emails from the hospital, offering suggestions and reminders regarding his healing journey.
“Education is the key to recovery. The more you understand about what’s going on, the easier that process becomes,” says Dr. Seroyer, adding that Curtis’ conditioning also helps. “People who are in better shape from a muscular standpoint do better with recovery.”
These days, Curtis has a busy schedule advocating for firefighters who are battling cancer.
‘HOMETOWN TEAM’
That said, Dr. Seroyer wants anyone in need of a new joint to know that they will receive the best care no matter where they are in their journey.
“We want to be the hometown team that takes care of the city of Mansfield,” he says. “We’re a team here, and we’ll be with the patient from start to finish and beyond.”
Just three weeks after surgery, Curtis is closer to the finish than he could have hoped. He no longer needs pain medication, and he’s looking forward to jogging again. He encouraged everyone to pay attention to their bodies.
“I’d tell people not to wait if they need a hip replacement,” he says.
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