John at the NPA Master's Universe Bodybuilding Championship in St. Petersburg, Va. where he won first place in the over-60 class on June 30, 2007.
Summary: Competitive bodybuilder John Wensich has been a patient of Dr. Vincent Pellegrini – the chief of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center – for more than 20 years. Over that time Dr. Pellegrini has performed four hip replacements on Wensich, who says he “owes everything to Dr. Pellegrini” for his bodybuilding success.
John Wensich has been a competitive bodybuilder and power lifter since the 1960’s and was very successful in both sports. But the bodybuilding, power lifting and other activities he participated in — including martial arts and running — all took a toll on his body.
Since the late 1980’s, Wensich has undergone two hip replacements, had bone spurs removed from his elbows, and developed a bad case of osteoarthritis caused by the fractures, broken ribs and other broken bones that occurred as a result of the martial arts training and other athletic competitions he participated in. “I’ve had a lot of fractures when I was in martial arts, broken ribs, sternum, broken foot, etc. All of those things caused the arthritis but Dr. Pellegrini has repaired much of that so that I am able to train very effectively again,” said Wensich.
Read John's comments about the importance of rehabilitation and about his recovery. More»
After hip replacement in 2000 and 2002, both done by Dr. Vincent Pellegrini, [chief of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center and professor and chairman of the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine] Wensich is now back to competing in bodybuilding.
He recently won the NGA (National Gym Association) national bodybuilding competition in the over-60 division. He also won the NPA (Natural Physique Association) Universe over-60 class on June 30. In addition, he won the 2007 USBF (United States Bodybuilding Federation) North American Championships over-55 class on April 28, 2007.
And he gives all the credit to Dr. Pellegrini. “He has rebuilt me so that I can compete with people who have virtually no arthritis, people who have never had a surgery, and I’m up on the stage competing against them and beating them! And I owe it to him.”
John Wensich with Dr. Vincent Pellegrini.
Wensich has almost a 20-year history with Dr. Pellegrini. Wensich first saw Dr. Pellegrini in 1988 when he was referred to him by a doctor who did his rotator cuff surgery at a hospital in Rochester, New York. (Dr. Pellegrini is originally from Rochester, and he was practicing at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester at the time). “I went to see Dr. Pellegrini for hip pain that I was starting to experience. I was getting some irritation, especially in the right hip,” recalled Wensich.
At that time Wensich was starting to experience discomfort in the hip areas because the cartilage was thinning out in that area. In the following two and a half years it thinned out to the point where he was very uncomfortable without medication so he and Dr. Pellegrini decided to operate on his hips. The hip replacement was done on both hips -- one in November of 1990 and the other one in February of 1991. That recovery went well, according to Wensich. “By mid-spring I was back on my feet, back to work and felt it went very well,” he said.
Those particular parts wore out after 10 years, so in 2000, Dr. Pellegrini replaced the right hip, and then the left hip in 2002.
Wensich says the hip replacements have held up well, using the newer Marathon parts. “It has held up beautifully. We just checked the X-rays in 2007 and the wear is virtually non-existent in the left one and the right one is very minimum.”
Now that he is back to new, Wensich has changed the way he trains.” I’ve learned how to train a little bit wiser and a little bit lighter and still get some good results.”
Wensich says rehabilitation has also been key element to his recovery. “When recovering from any major orthopedic operation, such as hip, elbow or shoulder surgery, it is vitally important to carefully follow your doctor's directions for rehabilitation,” he said.
“In my own case, my recoveries have been dramatic. I follow Dr. Pellegrini's orders to the letter. I continue to do strengthening exercises for both hips on a weekly basis as recommended, combined with an effective fitness routine and good diet. The results speak for themselves as demonstrated in the success of my 2007 bodybuilding competition season.”
To this day, John, who lives in Rochester, flys to Maryland and goes to Kernan Hospital for his yearly checkups. He’s willing to do that because of his faith in Dr. Pellegrini. “I’ll follow him anywhere because of the kind of work Dr. Pellegrini does; he’s an absolutely fabulous surgeon and a brilliant physician.”
“I’d recommend Dr. Pellegrini and his team to anyone. He is a master and a perfectionist,” Wensich said. “I’ve known many doctors and I couldn’t find a better doctor than Dr. Pellegrini. I’ll come down here to Kernan for my yearly checkup as long as he wants me to come.”
By Michelle W. Murray
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