Ron Schultz, a U.S. Marine veteran and Village of Harrison resident, had become accustomed to pushing through pain. Eventually, it caught up with him.
“I’m tougher than I am smart, so rather than being proactive and getting things fixed before they become a problem, I wait until it’s almost catastrophic failure,” he admits.
When Schultz’s hip pain reached that almost-catastrophic level, he turned to Dr. Michael Ziegele, a fellowship-trained Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement with ThedaCare Orthopedic Care.
Schultz’s only regret? Not seeking help sooner.
Mounting Misery
During a military deployment in 2019, Schultz began to experience low back and hip pain. As part of his medical out-processing following the assignment, he requested an MRI.
“I had really bad osteoarthritis in both hips, and that started off in my left one,” he says.
Schultz retired from the Marines in 2020, and the pain continued. 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 began to experience pain in his right hip. The discomfort soon took a toll on his quality of life.
Schultz, who now works as an environmental health and safety manager for Neenah medical device manufacturer TIDI Products, enjoys an active lifestyle. He loves working out, hiking, yardwork and playing with his dog. His passion for hunting and the outdoors brought him on trips out West and to Canada. Hip pain impacted all his favorite activities.
“Any hinging or squatting movements were extremely painful,” he says. “My quality of sleep was garbage.”
Right Time, Right Place
Schultz finally decided he needed to do something about the pain in his right hip. He had a procedure scheduled with the same doctor who’d done his right hip resurfacing when a chance encounter changed his mind.
Sara Ziegele is a physical therapist who provides care through ThedaCare At Work at Schultz’s workplace. She’d been working with Schultz when he told her he would be out for a bit for an upcoming hip procedure.
“She said, ‘Oh, I know somebody who does hips,’” Schultz recalls. That somebody happened to be Sara’s husband, Michael Ziegele.
That conversation led to a visit with Dr. Ziegele and soon to a scheduled surgery.
“I jumped ship, and if I had more hips to replace, I would have Mike do them,” Schultz says.
‘Genuinely Engaged and Interested’
When Schultz 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
“In Ron’s case, he was an excellent candidate for an anterior approach hip replacement, a muscle-sparing technique,” Dr. Ziegele says. “This is much more minimally invasive than traditional ways of doing a hip replacement surgery, which helped to expedite his recovery and give him a great outcome.”
Schultz underwent replacement of his right hip in May 2024. Though it took him a long time to decide to do something about his hip pain, Schultz says he felt no fear going into surgery.
“The day of the operation was awesome,” he says. “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. He also saw Sara Ziegele for physical therapy once he returned to work.
“Recovery was almost flawless,” Schultz says. “It got to a point where it was remarkably manageable within a very short period of time.”
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 says. “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 says he’s learned a lot throughout the past several years. Though his hip pain has resolved, new problems have emerged. “Fixing my hip has helped isolate what’s going on with my back.”
In early March, Schultz underwent a procedure he hopes will help relieve the lumbar spinal stenosis he’s been experiencing.
Schultz says his body has endured a lot throughout the years. He wants to address all his issues so he can live his life with less pain.
“I’m active. I’m engaged in life,” he says. “I have a lot of things going on. Just within this last year, I’ve learned how to breathe correctly.”
Schultz says he understands people’s hesitancy to have joint replacement surgery but offers a bit of advice.
“What I would say to people is get educated and don’t put it off. Don’t deny yourself a higher quality of life. It’s far less intimidating and far less restrictive than people would initially think.”
And when someone does feel ready to seek help for hip pain, Dr. Ziegele says he’s there to help them explore all their options.
“Just because you come to see me doesn’t mean that you’re going to get surgery,” he says. “We go through your X-rays and your physical exam. We talk about both operative and non-operative treatments and land on the treatment plan that’s best for you.”
Schultz says he’s pleased with that approach.
“I wouldn’t go anywhere else but ThedaCare based on that,” he says. “Every experience I’ve had with ThedaCare has been wonderful.”
Connect to expert hip care. Call (920) 831-5050 or schedule online.
