Tag Archive for: knee replacement for senior skiers

Harriet Wallis

Knee Replacement—What Do I Do Now? Part 5

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If you want to get back to skiing, learn to love your physical therapy.

It took my expert knee replacement surgeon one hour to cut, saw, hammer and install each new knee. It took me a year to rehab them. I was astounded by how long it took.

Correspondent Harriet Wallis works it. The key to recovery is following through with your physical therapy regimen. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Laurie O’Connor, friend of correspondent Harriet Wallis, works it. The key to recovery is following through with your physical therapy regimen.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

I was in good physical condition before surgery, and I had the mind set that I would bounce right back. I’m strong. I’m tough. I thought that a set of new knees would be something like taking my car in for an oil change. Drive in with old oil. Drive out with new oil and keep on rolling. I was incredibly wrong. The analogy didn’t work. Healing and rehab take time

The good news is: The body is a healing machine.

The bad news is: Lots of people slack off their physical therapy exercises as soon as they can get into the car and do their grocery shopping. They lose their motivation and unfortunately they don’t get full benefit of their new knees. They probably aren’t skiers. We skiers are motivated to get back to the sport we love.

Eight months after surgery I was back on the slopes – starting on the opening day of the season. I skied 93 days that year. EEEhaw! (During the winter before knee replacement, all I could do was skid down a bunny slope.)

Friends asked: “How long did it take to get used to artificial knees?

My response: “About six turns.” My new knees worked wonderfully.

Skiing is good exercise, but it’s not focused physical therapy. Continuing the prescribed exercises was vital. Now, two years later, I still do certain exercises. I believe that maintaining artificial knees is an ongoing process.

My new knees do have some minor disadvantages. I cannot squat with my butt down to my heels. Artificial knees aren’t designed to bend that far. Therefore I sit on a low stool while weeding the garden. And swimming laps confounded me because it took more strokes to get across the pool. I think that’s because metal is heavier than bone, so my legs are lower in the water. I had to find a new balance point for swimming.

The bottom line is this: When the surgeon is done, your work is just beginning. Do your rehab exercises with gusto – and I’ll see you on the slopes.

Note: This is a five-part series in which SeniorsSkiing.com’s correspondent Harriet Wallis describes her knee replacement journey with tips to guide you if you’re anticipating knee replacement. Part 1: Inspired by a ski patroller with artificial knees. Part 2: Research 101 – why and how to do it. Part 3: Interviewing surgeons and questions to ask. Part 4: How I found the right doctor for me. This is Part 5, the final segment of the series.

 

Harriet Wallis

Knee Replacement—How I Chose My Surgeon: Part 4

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How To Identify An Athletically-Empathic Surgeon.

I’m lucky to live in Salt Lake City. There are 10 ski resorts nearby, and there are opportunities for an active lifestyle year-round. Because of that, there are many top surgeons here who put athletes back together when they get injured or need replacement parts.

Correspondent Harriet Wallis chose Dr. Beck for many reasons. Credit: Harriet Wallis

Correspondent Harriet Wallis chose Dr. Beck from Salt Lake City for many reasons that made sense to her.
Credit: Harriet Wallis

But when I needed to have my knees replaced, I wanted to choose the right doctor for me. My list of questions helped me differentiate between the five surgeons I interviewed. Here’s the essence of just three of my questions and how the doctors’ answers focused my decision.

Do my knees need to be replaced? When?

            Doctor X: Yes, they need replaced — when you’re ready.

Doctor Beck: When the quality of your life is gone, and you can’t do the things you want to do, it’s time. Do it while you’re still active enough to get the best outcome and get back to the things you want to do.

What’s your surgery technique?

            Doctor Y said: I do the surgery this way. I do it this way all the time. I never vary from doing it this way.

Doctor Beck said: This is what I plan to do. But when I get into your knee I might find something that doesn’t show up on the x-rays and I’ll have to take care of it — but “I don’t want to hurt you any more than I have to.”

Can I ski?

            Doctor Z said: I wouldn’t ski anymore.

Doctor Beck said: “You’re darn tootin’ you can ski!” Pick good snow days, take some breaks, and you probably should stay out of the moguls.

For many reasons, this was the right surgeon for me.

         Good luck finding the right surgeon for you.

Editor’s Note: This is a 5-part series in which SeniorsSkiing’s correspondent Harriet Wallis describes her knee replacement journey with tips to guide you if you’re anticipating knee replacement. Part 1: Inspired by a ski patroller with artificial knees. Part 2: Research 101 – why and how to do it.  Part 3: Interviewing the docs.  Upcoming Part 5: Rehab and why to love it.

Harriet Wallis

Knee Replacement Isn’t For Sissies: Part 2

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Tips to Kick Start Your Research

A Brighton, Utah, ski patroller with two artificial knees assured me there’s definitely life – and skiing – after knee replacement. Her unbounded success motivated me to launch into research. I’m glad I did my homework. What I learned affected the direction I took, the outcome and ultimately my success. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Metal Knee Model: Is there one in your future? Credit: Harriet Wallis

Metal Knee Model: Is there one in your future?
Credit: Harriet Wallis

Don’t be duped. Learn about the whole knee replacement process. Don’t be duped by a well-meaning friend who says: “I’d go to Doctor Smith. He’s such a nice man.”

That would be as stupid as buying a car because your friend says: “I’d buy a Honda. It’s such a nice car.”

Do your own research

Get on the phone. Call athletes you even vaguely know who might have some insights on artificial body parts, surgery, and rehab. I called several ski instructors, an operating room nurse, and a 75-year-old mogul skier. I picked their brains .

I also plopped down at the table with ski patrollers while they ate breakfast in the lodge. My question to all of them: What should I learn about?         

They’ll all have different angles, so write their answers down or they’ll become scrambled mush in your head.

Knees, glues and cadavers. With clues you gather from the athletes about what’s important, get on the internet. Do not start on the internet. There’s so much information you’ll get overwhelmed and quit.

Read up on bone-to-metal adhesives, quad-sparing technique, risks, new knee limitations and more. Be sure to separate information from marketing hype. If you have the stomach for it, I recommend that you watch a YouTube video of a knee replacement on a cadaver.  Warning: it’s not for the faint of heart.

Find the top docs. Use the internet to review potential surgeons. They’ll all have illustrious credentials, so do some creative screening. Call each one’s office and ask what his/her specialty is. The phone-answerer should be well informed. Listen carefully. If you get mixed vibes or uncertainty as to whether this is truly a knee replacement guru, it should be a red flag.

Get the inside track. Physical therapists work with patients after surgery. They have refined knowledge about which surgeons give the best outcomes. But they might be reluctant to blurt out a doctor’s name. You’ll probably have to phrase it subtly: “Do you think Doctor A’s outcome is better than Doctor B’s?”

Good luck with your research. Check back for the next installment: Questions for surgeons and how to interview them.

 Note: This is a five- part series in which I describe my knee replacement journey with tips to guide you if you’re anticipating knee replacement. Part 1: Inspired by a ski patroller with artificial knees. This is Part 2. Upcoming will be Part 3: Interviewing surgeons and questions to ask. Part 4: How I found the right doctor for me. Part 5: Rehab and why to love it.