A new knee allows for active retirement
By Stephanie Hill

A person can live with chronic joint pain for so long before a decision needs to be made to do something about that pain and discomfort.

“My knee has been bothering me for years,” said Darvin Wicks of Le Sueur. “It really got painful in the last 6 or 7 months so I decided last summer to call Dr. Springer.”

Wicks is “retired” from the restaurant business – he owned a diner in Le Sueur for more than a decade.  Soon he will be retiring from his full-time job of driving motor coach for a southern Minnesota tour bus company.

The first appointment Wicks had with Dr. Springer was at River’s Edge Hospital and Clinic.  After an X-ray, Dr. Springer told Wicks “there’s nothing left.”  The cortisone shot he received lasted three weeks.

The plan Wicks had was to continue to work full time throughout the summer and have knee replacement surgery in the fall when work slowed down.

Wicks has always been active.  He does a lot of walking, although he said his knee pain put a stop to that a few months before surgery.  He also put a new roof on his house before surgery.  “That didn’t help much,” he said.

In September he scheduled his surgery and on November 20, 2014, Darvin Wicks got a new knee.

His surgery took place at River’s Edge Hospital.  “The nurses took good care of me,” he said.

Like all OrthoEdge joint replacement patients, Wicks attended joint camp about a week prior to his surgery.

“It was interesting to find out what I was going to go through.  It was informative and I learned a few things,” he said.

Wicks stayed in the hospital three days following surgery which is typical for most knee replacement patients.  He started physical therapy at River’s Edge the day of surgery then continued therapy in Le Sueur after discharge.   He finished physical therapy in mid-January.

Wicks says he will not do anything different now that he has a new knee.  But he does know one thing now that he’s retired, “I have more time to do what I want to do, like spend more time with my grandkids.”

Having a new knee will certainly help him keep up with them.

River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic provides quality health services that value all dimensions of health including mind, body and spirit. Our goal is to improve the health of all individuals we serve through continuous, measurable improvement in patient satisfaction, clinical quality, patient safety and operational effectiveness.

Stephanie Hill is the Director of Marketing at River’s Edge Hospital & Clinic. The information and suggestions contained in this blog are not intended to replace advice, diagnosis or treatment of qualified medical professionals. Consult with your primary care provider before starting a new diet or fitness program.