Bakersfield’s Greg Rogers knew he would need hip replacement soon since his hip had hurt him for years. When he could stand it no longer, he began looking for the best program and physician and decided on orthopedic surgeon Kevin Lester at Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno – just two hours from his home.
 

After checking out the program, Rogers found that Community Regional has one of the top joint replacement programs in the country, receiving national ratings for the past five years. He also learned joint replacement patients at Community Regional benefit from minimally invasive surgeries, faster recovery times, private rooms and a specially trained orthopedic team.
 

While performing Rogers’ surgery, Dr. Lester discovered Rogers’ hip was more damaged than originally thought, but was still able to repair the joint using minimally invasive methods.
 

The next morning, while making his rounds, Dr. Lester found Rogers out of bed and walking with his nurse around the hospital’s fifth floor hallway. Rogers said he was not taking pain medication and he was totally pain free while exercising his new hip replacement.
 

After a short hospital stay, Rogers went home to Bakersfield and continued his rehabilitation with little or no pain. He said he was amazed at his quick recovery and thought there would be more pain. Rogers said he felt like he would be getting back to his normal routine soon and was ready for work.
 

This story was reported by Mary Lisa Russell. She can be reached at mrussell@communitymedical.org.