Patient Stories

In December 2021, I was hit by a car while riding my bike (high-energy trauma). After months of recovering from this accident, the pain in my left knee and left shoulder persisted. I ended up at an orthopaedic clinic where, fortunately, I was taken very seriously.

I had total knee replacement (TKR) surgery on September 9, 2022, coincidentally on Arthrofibrosis Awareness Day. Unfortunately, my recovery has been a nightmare. I was assigned a pushy, aggressive, and untrained physical therapist, which only made things worse.

In early January 2010, I slipped on ice and injured my right knee, leading to severe pain and locking issues. After extensive physiotherapy, I underwent two arthroscopies in 2010 and 2011 to adjust my meniscus, revealing that my cruciate ligaments were somewhat stretched. In 2012, I suffered another fall, resulting in a small fracture of the tibial plateau. On November 12, 2012, I received a knee prosthesis but was discharged from the hospital with only a 40-degree bend.

I am a 74-year-old woman from Kentucky (USA), and before my total knee replacement (TKR) surgery, I was highly active, maintaining a disciplined exercise routine for over 40 years. When it came time for surgery, I sought out the highest-rated surgeon in my area, encouraged by numerous success stories from former patients.

In January 2024, I had a total knee replacement. Following the surgery, I began physiotherapy, Continuous Passive Motion (CPM), and lymph drainage, all managed within a pain-free range thanks to medication. Ten days after the operation, I was discharged with a 75-degree bend in my knee, which felt like a small victory at the time. However, my optimism began to fade when I started rehabilitation on the 11th day post-op.

My life changed dramatically in February 2019, when I was 44 years old. During a skiing accident, I broke my knee and had surgery three days later. I was given a knee brace and rehab instructions, but when the time came to remove the brace, I discovered that my leg was stuck at a 70-degree angle. I couldn’t bend or straighten it at all.

My journey began with a knee replacement in 2017, when I was 52 years old. I had suffered a fractured femur and tibia, along with a crush injury just below my right knee, back in 1982 when I was only 18. I believe that injury is the reason I needed a knee replacement at such a “young” age.