Victor Caceres - Back to Biking After Hip Replacements

It’s taken two hip surgeries to get Victor Caceres up and running to his potential and doing what he loves—biking and soccer.  Caceres, 58, an avid mountain biker, played soccer on Newhall Premier Futball Club, a local semi-pro team, up to the age of 53 when pain and arthritis in his hips forced him to quit. But he still stayed in the game as a coach and trainer for the team. “I had chronic pain and had tried acupuncture and cortisone shots but nothing seemed to work,” he said. “I was miserable but determined to get back to sports.”

Now, thanks to hip replacements in 2014 and 2016, he is able to bike pain-free, and plans to play soccer again this summer. Dr. Tarek Bittar, an orthopedic surgeon at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, performed the surgeries which allowed Caceres to get back on the field and to the familiar mountain bike trails. “I’ve played sports my whole life and with these surgeries I can get that life back,” said Caceres, a Canyon Country resident for more than 20 years, and parent with his wife Rachel to two grown children, Anthony and Brianna. “Now, the sky is the limit.” When he’s not working out at the gym or on his bike, Caceres is employed as a medical supply courier.

Following his surgeries, Caceres underwent intense physical therapy and was riding his bike within three months. He’s learned to kick the ball ”smartly” at soccer practices and continues with his physical therapy. “The treatment was great during my stay at Henry Mayo,” he said. “They really knew how to take care of me. The technology today is amazing. The physical therapists were motivating and inspiring and that’s what you want to hear as an athlete.” Caceres works out six days a week and is determined to get back to the field. “It’s a long recovery process and it takes about a year to feel normal but I’m getting there faster thanks to the fantastic and professional care I received at Henry Mayo,” he said.