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In this episode, Dr. Bryan Springer, co-founder and Medical Director of Operation Walk Carolinas, talks about the charity’s inspiring medical mission trips performing life-changing joint replacement surgeries at no cost for people in need in Developing Nations.

Bryan D. Springer, M.D. completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Mayo Clinic and his Fellowship in Adult Reconstruction of the Hip and Knee at the Harvard School of Medicine/Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He is currently an attending Orthopaedic Surgeon at the OrthoCarolina Hip and Knee Center in Charlotte, NC, where he serves as Fellowship Director and is Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Carolinas Medical Center.

He is a recipient of many academic, leadership and professional awards. He is as a member of the Knee Society and the Hip Society. He was named to the next generation of leaders in total joint replacement in 2013 and in 2008 was a John Insall Travelling Fellow. He is currently the chair of the Education Council for AAHKS and was the Program Chair for the 2013 AAHKS annual meeting. He is a past president of the Musculoskeletal Infection Society (MSIS). He currently serves on the Board of Directors as vice chair for the American Joint Replacement Registry and the International Congress for Joint Replacement (ICJR). He is on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Arthroplasty, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research and is assistant editor for Arthroplasty Today. He is the co-founder and Medical Director of Operation Walk Carolinas.

Each year in the U.S., nearly 1 million hip and knee replacements are performed. Once the decision to have surgery has been made, the average time a patient waits to have this operation is approximately 6-8 weeks. These operations are life changing for the patient and their families. In fact, the British Medical Journal recently dubbed total joint replacement “The Operation of the Century” based on the dramatic improvement it has on patients’ lives. I am sure many of you know friends, family or perhaps even yourself, who have been the beneficiaries of this operation.

Now imagine for a minute that you or your loved ones had no access to this treatment. The thought of being able to have this operation would merely be a dream. Implants are not available and there are no trained surgeons or health care providers to take care of them. They are therefore left to live a life of pain and disability. This lack of access to joint replacement has a trickledown effect much greater than just dealing with the pain of disabling arthritis. If you are unable to work because of pain or disability due to your joint condition, your son or daughter will have to stop going to school, learning to read, learning to write. They will be forced to enter the workforce to provide for the needs of the family that you are no longer able to provide. Unfortunately, for many living in third world countries, this is an all too familiar reality. Having a life changing operation like a hip or knee replacement is simply not an option.

Operation Walk Carolinas is a not-for-profit, volunteer medical services organization founded in 2015, which provides free surgical treatment for patients in developing countries that have no access to life-improving care for arthritis or other debilitating bone and joint conditions. Operation Walk Carolinas also educates in-country orthopedic surgeons, nurses, physical therapists and other healthcare professionals on the most advanced treatments and surgical techniques for diseases of the hip and knee joints. This is done in conjunction with surgeries to help create a lasting contribution to patient care in developing countries. Our team consists of approximately 50 volunteer doctors, surgeons, nurses, therapist and OR personnel who dedicate their time and energy to helping those in need. We bring every supply needed to run an orthopaedic hospital. We have completed trips to Panama, Cuba and Honduras and have replaced over 150 hips and knees.

To learn more, visit www.opwalkcarolinas.org

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