The Importance of Being Able to Walk

Ecuador has a culture of walking. Homes in places like Quito often can be reached only on foot, usually by climbing steps (perhaps hundreds) or long pathways. So a disease like osteoarthritis of the hip can render a person home-bound. The people are tough. Many have never taken pain-killers in their lives, and so need very little to stem pain. A typical hospital stay for total hip replacement is two days with the patient walking and sitting on the second day. 

 

Pictured below is patient Gala Marie Arias who has been waiting ten years for surgery because she did not know what was wrong with her hip.  Gala thought this was her lot in life and had to live with the pain not realizing she could have the hip repaired.   When she heard about CAMTA through her sister, she came to the clinic for assessment and was scheduled for surgery shortly after.