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I Could Kick Myself for Not Getting a New Knee Sooner
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Moving Forward John and Dr. Victor Khabie, Co-Director of the Orthopedic and Spine Institute and Chief of Sports Medicine at Northern Westchester Hospital (NWH), went way back – almost 20 years. Dr. Khabie had treated all three of John’s children for sports injuries, with “amazing” results.
Now Dr. Khabie ordered x-rays. The right knee showed severe damage from arthritis. “John’s prior injury to his knee cartilage set the stage for early arthritis,” explains the surgeon. “Cartilage is the cushion in your knee. If it’s damaged, there’s less cushion and your knee will wear out sooner. John’s knee was filled with arthritis – possibly the worst I’ve ever seen.”
Rather than go immediately to knee replacement, Dr. Khabie first tried two non-operative treatments. That was the protocol. But cortisone shots barely helped. “I got some relief from pain but never gained any mobility,” recalls John. As for gel injections, a liquid cushion that can help up to a year (and can safely be repeated, letting a person avoid knee surgery for many years) – “no luck.”
Victor Khabie, MD Chief, Sports Medicine Co-Chief, Orthopedic & Spine Institute Northern Westchester Hospital
The two agreed: Nonsurgical options had failed. It was time for full knee replacement surgery.
“Most devices last 20-plus years,” says Dr. Khabie. “For people who are really big and put a lot of pressure on the knee replacement, the lifespan is 15 to 25 years. But if you’re in pain and you’re suffering, you don’t want to put off something for a possible, a theoretical, possibility that you’ll need it done again. There’s a spectrum of reasons for having this surgery at a given point in time – an accumulation of things. It’s a very personal decision you need to make with your doctor.”
John checked into NWH for surgery on a Friday afternoon in May of 2019. By Friday night, he was walking the hospital halls with a cane and a walker. Saturday, John walked on a mock short staircase. “I did well on stairs!” John felt good about his progress. And Northern Westchester Hospital was “great,” he says. “At night, the team nurses were very attentive, in and out of the room. You hit the buzzer, they were there in a minute.”
Really Living Again Ten days after going home, John started physical therapy. “I worked pretty hard on it, wanted to get the knee mobile again. Once it started to feel good, I was enjoying the PT – all kinds of stretching, biking, treadmill.” In June, John joined a gym, where for six months, he worked out on the NuStep recumbent cross trainer, just pedaling with his legs.
Says Dr. Khabie, “John started off with a very stiff knee and graduated to a knee that’s much more limber and moves great. My instructions to him are: Just live life. Enjoy your knee. There’s no running or jogging, probably ever. But you can take long walks, walk on trails, play doubles tennis, golf and ski.” Today, about a year after surgery, John is back on the trails – in Yorktown, Bear Mountain, Cold Spring, Mount Kisco. Now that he’s retired from Con Ed, there’s even more time for that. “Soon I’ll be getting my golf clubs out of the garage.” And biking is just around the corner.
“This changed John’s life,” says Dr. Khabie. “He has restored function and it has brightened his outlook on life. My expectation is that this knee will last him a couple of decades, maybe longer. Possibly his whole life. This is a cuttingedge knee – the latest type of knee replacement – so it’s stronger and fits better than anything that came before.”
He adds: “I wish John happy trails!”
Dr. Khabie offers this advice to others: “A knee replacement for someone with bad arthritis, who is suffering, has the potential to dramatically change life for the better, such as in John’s case. At least, come see an orthopedic surgeon, have an x-ray, and explore your options.”
John has just one regret: “Not doing it sooner.”
NWHealth Keeping you informed and involved
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