Knees for You Guide to Knee Replacement

Robena Foland

Link  http://www.biomet.com/patients/robena_foland.cfm

Robena is a passionate Italian woman. Not just because of her "all day" spaghetti sauce but because she has a real zest for life. Robena loves to cook, walk for miles, swim, and visit with her neighbors. Then she got arthritis in her knee.

Like most people with severe arthritis, Robena lived with the pain. She says, "sometimes my knee would give out, it just wouldn't support me." Then there was the sharp pain. Robena says, "before surgery, the pain was absolutely debilitating. I was getting totally disabled. I couldn't walk. I couldn't stand. That's when I decided that I needed to do something."

She saw an orthopedic surgeon, who told her about the Oxford® Partial Knee implant. Robena says, "my first thought about surgery was fear. But I trusted my doctor and I knew that's what I needed to do to get some relief."

Robena researched her condition and her possible treatment options. She also spoke with her orthopedic surgeon who gave her educational material to help set her expectations after surgery. Robena says, "They told me that I would be up the same day as surgery and that I would go home 3 days later, and I was."

As far as recovery, Robena says, "The most important thing for knee replacement is exercise." Robena's goal was to get on her feet as quickly as she could, and she knew that doing her exercises would help her achieve her goal.

Robena says, "After surgery, I didn't have to take a lot of pain medication - maybe for 2 or 3 days. I attribute that to the skill of my surgeon, to the marvelous [Oxford® Knee] device, and to my attitude about my exercise."

Robena was driving two weeks after surgery. And she says that the "biggest thing is my ability to walk. Limping made my back pain worse, but with the Oxford® Knee my back pain is much better." Robena continues, "Had I known it was going to be this easy, I would have had it done much earlier. As a matter of fact, I can't wait to have my other knee done."

The decision to have joint replacement surgery can be intimidating. We hope Robena's story gives you valuable information regarding joint replacement surgery. When asked to summarize her experience, Robena simply says, "My world was getting smaller and smaller because I couldn't walk. When my surgeon put in the Oxford® Knee, it was like a miracle, and that's the truth."