Featured Patient

William Gouviea

As a 42-year-old, happily married father of two, William Gouviea is by any standards an active individual. A 22 year veteran paramedic firefighter, William is not only an avid runner, golfer and softball player, but also a softball coach; he has even completed a mini-triathlon.

In 2002, he began to experience a pain in his hip, which he disregarded as a short-term soreness. It continued to grow worse, until he sought advice from Dr. Gary Levengood, Chief of Orthopedic surgery at Gwinnett Medical Center. He recalls being told his pain was from a degenerative arthritis of his hip joint and being recommended surgery, which William had to put off due to his active lifestyle.

In March 2007, after trying corticosteroid shots and reducing his recreational activities, William was virtually unable to walk and was forced to stop working altogether. Luckily for William, Dr. Levengood had the means to return him to his active lifestyle with the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure.

After the surgery, “I woke up and could tell the pain was gone”, William stated. Other than soreness and swelling from the surgery, the excruciating pain that had kept him awake on so many occasions was gone. “After talking to Dr. Levengood, I knew exactly what to expect.” What followed were six weeks of intensive physical therapy to help rebuild his muscles. A mere three months after receiving the Birmingham resurfacing, William was cleared once again to full duty status as a Dekalb firefighter.

Now a little over a year past his operation, William is all but indistinguishable from his pre-hip pain self. “I went into the surgery with really high expectations.” Williams stated, “I don’t feel like I have any limitations… I feel great.” William has his life back, thanks to Dr. Gary Levengood and the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing procedure.