Marilyn Utz was in pain 24/7 from her arthritic ankle and it was getting worse. She became nervous when the weather produced snow and ice, and she dreaded using the stairs. The 69 year-old Ramsey, NJ resident finally determined that living in pain was no life at all and she went to Totowa based physician, Dr. Eugene Batelli.
Dr. Batelli discovered that more than 80% of Marilyn’s ankle was arthritic and recommended she replace her ankle. Batelli explained that, “the advent of these newer implants is allowing people to do what they want to do and return to their active lifestyle.” After three years of suffering, Marilyn scheduled her surgery at the Hackensack Medical Center.
Marilyn is now back to her favorite activities including fishing, gardening and swimming. She said, “A lot of people when they get older, they give up. Not me. I ain’t giving up yet, you have to keep going.” Marilyn frequently recommends the ankle-replacement surgery to her friends who are suffering and “feel like their wings are clipped.”
The opinions of Marilyn Utz and Dr. Batelli are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Wright Medical.
Any results are specific to this particular individual only. Individual results and activity levels after surgery vary and depend on many factors including age, weight and prior activity level. There are risks and recovery times associated with surgery and there are certain individuals who should not undergo surgery.