Ron Schultz is a U.S. Marine. His toughness, ingrained in him through years of military training and experiences, taught him to push through pain.
When Schultz experienced chronic hip pain, he tried pushing through it. Eventually, he realized attacking it alone wasn’t the best approach. That’s when he sought reinforcement from Dr. Michael Ziegele, a fellowship-trained Orthopedic Surgeon with ThedaCare Orthopedic Care.
Schultz’s only regret? Not seeking help sooner.
“I’m tougher than I am smart,” said Schultz, a Village of Harrison resident. “So rather than being proactive and getting things fixed before they become a problem, I wait until it’s almost catastrophic failure.”
Schultz first experienced low back and hip pain during a military deployment in 2019. He requested an MRI as part of his medical out-processing following the assignment.
“I had really bad osteoarthritis in both hips,” he said. “It started off in my left one.”
The pain continued after Schultz retired from the Marines in 2020. That led him to a doctor in Waupun, who eventually performed a resurfacing procedure on Schultz’s left hip.
In the years following the surgery, Schultz again faced an old enemy. It was the hip pain flaring up in his right hip. The discomfort took a toll on his quality of life.
Schultz, an environmental health and safety manager for a medical device manufacturer, enjoys an active lifestyle. He works out, hikes, enjoys yardwork and playing with his dog. His passion for hunting and the outdoors led him to trips out West and to Canada. All the while, his hip pain negatively impacted his favorite activities.
“Any hinging or squatting movements were extremely painful,” he said. “My quality of sleep was garbage.”
Connecting to Care
Schultz finally decided to address his hip pain. When he met with Dr. Ziegele, he knew he had landed in the right place. Schultz says he appreciated how Dr Ziegele provided education. He helped him understand how he’d gotten to where he was and how a hip replacement could help him moving forward.
“I just kind of got that warm, fuzzy feel with Mike, not like he was trying to sell me something, but like he was genuinely trying to help,” he says. “He was genuinely engaged and interested in what was happening. He wanted to understand what I needed, where I was at and the solutions that he could provide to help me get my life back on track.”
Schultz says he also learned about the value of fellowship training. As a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Ziegele completed advanced training in hip and knee arthroplasty that helps ensure he can deliver the best possible outcomes for his patients. That helped give Schultz confidence in choosing to switch to Dr. Ziegele for his hip replacement.
Successful Surgery
Schultz underwent right hip replacement surgery with Dr. Ziegele in May 2024. He said he felt at ease moments before the procedure.
“The day of the operation was awesome,” he said. “My wife was blown away with how quickly it went.”
Schultz was up and walking the same day as his procedure and soon returned home to recuperate. As he recovered, he completed a home exercise program and physical therapy. Within 10 to 12 weeks, Schultz felt nearly 100%. Now, almost two years out from his surgery, he’s still experiencing outstanding results.
“I can do what I want, when I want. I can do it without restriction. I can do it without pain,” Schultz said. “It’s almost the same as … never having gone through the process with the degenerative arthritis and everything else. It’s like I have a brand-new hip.”
Words of Wisdom
Schultz said he understands people’s hesitancy to have joint replacement surgery and offers a bit of advice.
“What I would say to people is get educated and don’t put it off,” he said. “Don’t deny yourself a higher quality of life. It’s far less intimidating and far less restrictive than people would initially think.”
ThedaCare offers several solutions for hip pain. Call 920-831-5050 for more information or schedule a visit online.
