MADISON COUNTY, AL (WAFF) -
60-year-old Charles House and his wife are enjoying dancing again. It's an
activity he missed because his knee was in such bad shape. House said all three
components of the knee had to be replaced.
"Back in the 70's, I had two knee surgeries based off of a
motorcycle accident and baseball sliding," said House.
House said stairs, swelling, and decades of pain made him rethink having
knee surgery again. He went to Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Eric Janssen of Sports
Med.
Janssen told him about the Medial Pivot Knee System.
"We have little guides that can make the cuts for us, so we can be
pretty precise. And then we'll put a little metal cap on top of the femur bone
and a flat plate on the tibia bone and then a plastic insert that goes in
between. Most times on back of the knee cap, we'll also put a little plastic
button on there," said Janssen.
Janssen said the plastic will support the weight of the patient. He said
this system is much better than previous surgical methods.
"We're better with these systems to get better fitting implants and
better alignments, and our rehab procedures are better than they were 15 years
ago," said Janssen.
This kind of knee surgery is less invasive than old techniques. Less invasive
procedures follow with quicker recovery time and better pain management for
patients.
"The surgery lasted an hour and a half. I wanted to get out of the
hospital as soon as I could. And 48 hours was my goal, and I did
that. You have to have a 90 degree flexion to get out," said House.
The normal recovery time is a three day hospital stay. After that, the
patient will be walking before they leave the hospital. After the surgery a two
and six week follow up is required to check for proper prognosis. Physical
therapy is also required for four to six weeks.
Now Mr. House and his wife are enjoying country dancing again.
"It's wonderful. If Dr. Jansen says we need to do surgery on your other
knee, I would do it tomorrow. I am a different person. I am so mobile
now," said House.
House got back into country dancing just four weeks after his surgery.
[Click here for more information on the
procedure and Dr. Janssen]
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Advancements in knee replacement surgery allowed Charles House to dance with his wife again.
Dr. Eric Janssen shows the Medial Pivot Knee System.
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