|
||
Patient TestimonialJudy, ADVANCE® Unicompartmental Knee Recipient
A fall at work prompted Judy to seek treatment for a painful knee
injury. As an orthopaedic nurse, Judy had an ally immediately in Richard Rosa,
MD, an orthopaedic surgeon with whom she frequently worked. As they talked together
about her predicament, Dr. Rosa was not immediately convinced that arthroscopic
treatment would resolve Judy's pain, but since her injury was work-related,
she was encouraged by another orthopaedic surgeon to pursue arthroscopic surgery.
These results are specific to this individual only. Individual results and activity levels after surgery vary and depend on many factors including age, weight and prior activity level.
|
||
|
||
Unfortunately, it seemed to Judy that the arthroscopic procedure made her
knee worse than ever. She developed painful arthritis as a result. It seemed
like every two steps Judy took, her knee would give way or lock up. She worried
about falling. Going up and down steps was horrific as the pain was so intense.
Her debilitating condition forced Judy to depend on crutches and be out of
work for almost 6 months. This terrified Judy, as sole provider for her family.
She had completely taken for granted, like most people, the ability to be
mobile. She began to wonder if she had lost the ability to perform her job.
And, she worried about how she would pay her bills.
One day when her knee locked again, this time for hours and requiring two
injections of anti-inflammatory drugs, Judy and Dr. Rosa decided that it was
time to try something different. As she was a young patient, just 53 years
old with only one compartment of her knee damaged, Dr. Rosa suggested to Judy
that she would be a good candidate for a procedure called unicompartmental
knee arthroplasty. In this minimally-invasive procedure, only the damaged
portion of the knee is replaced, leaving all the healthy bone, ligaments,
and cartilage in place. As an orthopaedic nurse, Judy knew the advantages
of a unicompartmental (partial) over a total knee replacement and agreed that
that would be the best surgical option for her. The unicompartmental knee
would allow her to recover faster with much less rehabilitation.
Dr. Rosa performed the surgery using the ADVANCE® Unicompartmental Knee implant
from Wright Medical. According to Judy, “Although having any surgery is potentially
serious, I thought this procedure was a breeze. I had only one night’s stay
in the hospital, no narcotics, and no formal physical therapy. Dr. Rosa instructed
me on what exercises to perform during my recovery, which I did to regain
my flexibility. In just six weeks, I was back to work – pulling 13-hour shifts
on my feet, again.”
"I couldn’t do anything before the surgery without crutches. Now, I’m back to normal."