Carl, Knee Replacement Patient

“Knee replacement surgery has restored my life.”

I live on a farm and am very active. We have horses, raise some llamas.

Beginning in 2015, pain in my knee started getting bad, and I wasn’t able to do the regular things you need to do on a farm, like use the mower and weed-eater. I couldn’t climb hills, and it was hard to come down the hills.

My granddaughter is a champion volleyball player, and when I would go see her play, I couldn’t get up the steps in the stands without my son holding me. I had to sit on the first row, which I didn’t like because you can’t see through the rails too well.

I like to work out at the YMCA. It got to the point that my knee hurt so bad I couldn’t walk. Steps – up or down – were nearly impossible.

I had cortisone shots, but they weren’t helping. The doctor said it was because the meniscus was gone. I was walking bone-on-bone, so I knew I had to do something.

Walking the day after surgery

In September 2015, I had knee replacement surgery at Johnson City Medical Center and was up walking around the next day!

It was totally different from when I had knee replacement surgery on the other knee 10 years ago. Back then, I was in the hospital for almost a week and on a walker and crutches when I went home.

The pain level was remarkably better this time.

After surgery, I went to a class in a therapy room at the end of the hall where the staff worked with me and other patients who also had knee surgery. There was a whole team of nurses and that’s all they do, so they’re very experienced, and could not have been nicer.

One of the reasons I was able to be up walking the day after surgery this time is because of the therapy they have you do before the surgery to strengthen the muscles.

It makes the surgery much easier and the time to recover from it much quicker. It’s phenomenal.

I recommend that any patient having knee replacement surgery definitely do the three months of therapy beforehand. It’s something Johnson City Medical Center provides, and it won’t cost the patient anything, even if they have the surgery somewhere else.

The Joint Replacement Center also has a class to tell you what’s going to happen during and after surgery.

The main advice I have to other people is to not wait too late. Just go ahead and get it done, the younger you are the better.

Knee replacement surgery has restored my life.

I got my life back to like it was before I needed surgery.

I feel like I can do anything I could do before.

I’m back to mowing, going to my granddaughter’s volleyball games, making repairs on the farm, feeding horses, and doing whatever my wife tells me to do!

Is knee replacement for you?

If you think surgery might help you get moving again – like it did for Carl – learn more about total knee replacement here.