Submitted by Mississippi Valley Surgery Center
Martie Wilson has suffered from knee pain for more than 50 years. For her, it all started in junior high when she fell on her right knee while playing with her friends. Assuming it was simply a minor sprain, she went back to running and playing within a few days.
However, her knee was never the same. It hurt her even when walking. To make matters worse, she continued to injure her knee for decades after the initial incident. A few minor car accidents left her right knee even more battered.
The good news is that Martie is now living without pain. After minimally invasive knee surgery at Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, the Quad Cities’ largest multi-specialty outpatient surgery center, her chronic pain has been relieved.
Life before surgery
“Before I had the surgery, pain really affected my life,” Martie said. “I got used to the ‘new normal’ of daily stiffness and throbbing in my knee.”
Over time, she adjusted the way she walked to seek relief, and the habit resulted in a unique gait.
“I was literally dragging my leg in order to move around. I couldn’t go up steps the normal way,” she said.
Adjusting her gait wasn’t the only method she used to lessen the pain. She tried arthritis medications, cortisone shots, and physical therapy. Unfortunately, these all proved to be short-term solutions.
Living without pain
Everything changed when Martie and her husband moved to the Quad Cities and connected with Dr. John Hoffman, a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon with Orthopaedic Specialists in Davenport who performs minimally invasive joint surgery at the Surgery Center.
An x-ray from her first visit with Dr. Hoffman showed that her adjusted walking style had left her knees angled inward and touching one another when her legs were straightened — a condition known as “knock knees.”
Dr. Hoffman tried cortisone shots into the right knee to see if that would address the pain. While that alleviated her pain, it only lasted about two weeks.
“After that, it was pretty clear that a knee replacement was the best solution,” said Martie.
She scheduled a knee replacement surgery with Dr. Hoffman at Mississippi Valley Surgery Center.
“It’s very fulfilling to help patients like Martie who have struggled with pain for such a long time,” said Dr. Hoffman. “We are able to offer the latest surgical techniques to get people of all ages on their feet more quickly and with as little disruption as possible.”
Dr. Hoffman used cutting guides custom-made to Martie’s knee to perform the procedure. This advanced technology ensured better precision.
“This allows the precise placement of the implant and results in a much more efficient and accurate procedure compared to more traditional approaches,” said Dr. Hoffman.
The surgery was a success, and Martie noticed the effects immediately. After physical therapy, she was back to walking normally again.
“I basically had to re-teach my body how to walk, because of how I was compensating for the pain in my knee,” she said.
Martie was not only pleased with the result, but with the overall experience. Everything from checking into the Surgery Center, to prepping for the procedure and post-op recovery was done with care.
“You don’t have time to be nervous at all. They put you right at ease,” Martie said. “Since I’m a receptionist, I’m very cognizant of customer service. Throughout the whole procedure, everyone was so friendly and helpful — they even sent me a thank-you note for being such a good patient!”
After a full recovery, the x-ray at a follow-up appointment showed that her knee had straightened. “I feel so much better,” Martie said. “I definitely recommend Dr. Hoffman and the fine folks at Mississippi Valley Surgery Center. I am really, really happy I did the surgery.”
To learn more about Dr. Hoffman and the other surgeons at Orthopaedic Specialists, visit www.OSQuadCities.com.
To learn more about Mississippi Valley Surgery Center, go to www.mvhealth.net and visit Facebook at facebook.com/MississippiValleySurgeryCenter.