Hip and Knee Replacement Keep Cruise-Lover on Board
November 11, 2025
Mike Hemhauser isn’t just a hip replacement patient; he’s a man in motion. For 40 years, the 72-year-old Middletown, New Jersey, man was an avid runner. In recent years, he’s embracing lower-impact pickleball and pursuing his passion for woodworking.
“I like to work with my hands and wood,” Mike says, describing the sheds, garages and greenhouses he’s built. Mike and his wife, Lorraine, are also avid cruisers, but Mike’s hip pain threatened to dock them for the next voyage.
From Pickleball to Pain on Deck
“I was playing pickleball, and my hip was hurting me,” Mike says of the pain that worsened in the summer of 2024. “It wasn’t going away.” He and Lorraine had planned to embark on a 17-day cruise to New England and Canada a few days later. Hoping for a quick fix so he wouldn’t have to cancel the cruise, Mike opted for a steroid injection and oral steroids.
These treatments weren’t successful in relieving Mike’s pain.
“We had to do a lot of walking, and that hurt a lot,” Mike says. “Lorraine called from the ship to book me an appointment with Dr. Costa.” Mike’s confidence in seeing orthopedic surgeon Anthony Costa, M.D., of Hackensack Meridian Health came from previous experience. “Dr. Costa performed a hip replacement on my other hip in December of 2017. And that went very well,” Mike says. “I knew I was in good hands.”
Back on the Pickleball Court
Mike was surprised at the speed of his recovery from the hip replacement surgery. “I had a walker that they sent me home with, and I had a cane. But I got rid of those pretty early,” he says. “Within two days, I was walking on my own.”
Within three or four weeks, Mike was playing pickleball and working on carpentry projects. Dr. Costa, who performs up to eight joint replacement surgeries a day, attributes Mike’s excellent results to Hackensack Meridian Health’s commitment to joint replacement as a practice. The surgeons have access to and extensive experience with the latest technologies in joint replacement care, including robotics and enhanced navigation. Beyond surgery, every health care discipline is aligned to support the patient as a team.
“We have physical therapy aligned with anesthesia and nutrition aligned with nursing,” Dr. Costa says. “We work together to get each patient through the procedure safely and successfully.”
During recovery, Mike realized it might be time to address the pain in his knee as he had the pain in his hips. He discussed the possibility of a partial knee replacement with Dr. Costa, and the procedure was performed within a couple of months.
This time, the rehabilitation plan was more extensive. Mike had six weeks of formal physical therapy and was given a stationary bike to ride at home—three times a day for three weeks. Physician assistant Bobbi Pellegrino called to check in daily.
Today, Mike is enjoying playing pickleball for an hour and a half every day and has even started testing out running again. “That’s what I like to see,” Dr. Costa says. “I have so many patients who never thought they’d ski again or play tennis again, but a few months after the procedure, they were doing it and completely forgetting they ever had a joint replacement.”
Cruising Into the Future
Going into his next cruise — for his fiftieth wedding anniversary — Mike feels excited and ready. “I don’t have the pain that I had before,” he says. “I have aches and pains from getting old, but that’s about it now.” Mike says he would recommend Dr. Costa to anybody.
“He’s just top notch,” Mike says, “and everybody I’ve ever talked to says the same thing. You’re lucky to get Dr. Costa.” “Mike is why I do what I do,” Dr. Costa says. “He’s had multiple joint procedures and still feels confident doing everything he enjoys.”
Next Steps & Resources
- Meet our source: Anthony J. Costa, M.D., orthopedic surgeon at Hackensack Meridian Health’s Bayshore Medical Center and Riverview Medical Center.
- To make an appointment with an orthopedic specialist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
- Learn more about orthopedics and sports medicine at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
