Clean Run - July 2012 - 20

ing sensation. In fact I first thought it did nothing, but I realized about an hour after the patch was removed that my knee hurt more than it had before. I had weekly acupuncture sessions. I even tried arthroscopic surgery where my surgeon trimmed off ragged bits of meniscus, smoothed some of the rough edges of cartilage, and sucked out the bits and pieces of cartilage and other debris floating around in my knee. All this bought me 2 ½ years.

a few people who in trying to take the weight off the bad left knee, ending up causing bursitis in their right hip. There is no good time to have surgery and take off considerable time from agility, work, etc., but you need to pick a time. By April I knew the inevitable knee replacement was looming. I scheduled it in October, following the USDAA Nationals. Around June my knee really started deteriorating. I was doing less running on the course and more hopping. But the earliest they could get me in was mid-September.

The group is made up of agility competitors currently having knee issues and considering knee replacement, those in the middle of rehab, and those that have had knee replacement surgery and are currently competing. It’s a great place to ask questions and share experiences. If I have to do this again, next time I will be in better shape prior to surgery. By the time September rolled around I was already experiencing muscle atrophy in my leg. I think the better shape you are in going into surgery, the easier and quicker recovery will be. The hospital where I had both my hip and knee replacement offered a “joint” class where they provided a detailed explanation of everything that will go on in surgery, your stay at the hospital, and what to expect when you get home. If your hospital offers such a class, I’d strongly suggest you attend. The more prepared you are going in, the less scary it will be.

i have never spoKen to anyone who regrets having Joint replacement surgery. if anything, i hear of people regretting not having the surgery sooner.

Things to Do Before Surgery
About two months before surgery I realized I knew very few specifics. Dr. Palmieri and I had talked in general about the types of knees available, but we had not actually sat down and talked details. I made an appointment and arrived with a list of questions. We spent a good half hour discussing the types of knees, how they work, and the type of knee that would best suit me. By the time I left her oﬃce I probably knew as much about the construction and movement of an artificial knee as many med students! When talking to your doctor do not ask if you can run agility—find another word! It seems when orthopedic surgeons hear the word “run,” they think jogging for miles. When I explained that an agility run may last less than a minute and showed the doctor a video, she had no problem with it. We also discussed depression and surgery. I think as a group, agility folks are an independent lot. Your first month following surgery can be very diﬃcult emotionally. You have pain, you must rely on the help of others, and you just can’t do much. If you think depression may be an issue for you, talk to your doctor and he can prescribe something to help. It takes about two weeks for the effects to kick, which is why I suggest you discuss possible depression before your surgery. Your mental attitude has a lot to do with how quickly you recover. A good source of information is the Agility Knees Yahoo discussion group.

Nothing Sucks the Joy Out of You Like Constant Pain
Eventually I realized that the pain in my knee was keeping me from doing too many of the things I loved. I couldn’t take my dogs for long walks in the park. My husband and I couldn’t take the hiking vacations we loved. If I had to walk any distance, like to the farthest gate at the airport, I would have to stop along the way and rest my knee. I didn’t want to live like this anymore. I made my appointment for knee replacement surgery. They tell you to wait until you can’t stand it any longer and then schedule your surgery. However, depending on the area of the country you live in, the next available surgical slot will be anywhere from three to six months. So you have to decide you can’t take it anymore less six months, which is pretty much impossible. Try to have your surgery before you injure another part of your body by compensating. When one part of your body hurts the natural thing to do is to shift the weight from the bad joint to another part of your body. I have known of
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After Surgery— Month One
Clean Run ran an excellent two-part article (March and April 2006) by Steve Sobreski, a regular contributor on the Agility Knees list. In Part two he goes into great detail about his surgery and rehab, so I am going to focus more on what I did to get back in the ring. The first couple of weeks I was mostly recovering from surgery; however, I did start physical therapy three times per week the minute I came home from the hospital. One thing they told me was to “stay ahead of the pain.” I took Oxycontin AM and PM and Percocet about every four hours for “breakthrough” pain. I have heard of people who did not feel

Clean Run | July 12

Clean Run - July 2012

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