Charles’s Story: One Fall, Two Injuries
In his 72 years of life, Charles Jobe never had a reason to enter a hospital except to visit someone.
That changed on Valentine’s Day, however, when he decided to climb a ladder to clear debris left behind on his roof by a bad ice storm. The ladder fell out from under him and before he knew it, he was lying on the ground, unable to move. Fortunately, it was only a matter of minutes before a neighbor discovered him and called 911 for help.
Jobe was rushed to Miami Valley Hospital where he met orthopedic surgeon Joe Rubino, MD, of Premier Orthopedics, part of Premier Physician Network, and was diagnosed with a hip fracture and a dislocated shoulder. The shoulder joint was put back into place in the emergency department, and Jobe was taken to surgery the following day for fixation of his hip fracture.
Jobe’s injuries didn’t surprise Dr. Rubino. A hip can be broken at any age, but the majority of hip fractures occur in people older than 65. As people age, their bones slowly lose minerals and become less dense, weakening the bones and making them more susceptible to fractures.
It’s a serious injury for older people, but thankfully there is hope. Surgery to repair a hip fracture is very effective, although patients face a long recovery. Dr. Rubino knew his top priority was to fix Jobe’s hip before anything could be done about his shoulder.
“Fixing the hip early is very important so we can get the patient up and active,” says Dr. Rubino, who also serves as assistant professor at Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine.
Dr. Rubino performed surgery to help align and stabilize the fracture, and Jobe experienced his first hospital stay in Miami Valley Hospital’s new patient tower where he recuperated for four days.
The tower’s private room gave him the opportunity to adequately rest and ample room for his wife to be by his side the entire time he was there.
The new patient tower also features physical therapy nearby and patient rooms spacious enough for in-room therapy to be performed far more effectively. Before, patients had to travel further around the hospital for therapy.
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