CINCINNATI — Nearly one in four U.S. adults has arthritis, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition causes joint pain and is a leading cause of disability among adults, prompting many people to seek treatment as symptoms worsen.
For Diane Elrod, staying active had always been a part of life.
From golfing with her father to bowling and eventually discovering tennis, Elrod built a lifelong love of sports. She later shared that passion with her daughter, who became a competitive tennis player.
But in her early 50s, severe knee pain began making it difficult to keep up on the court.
“I would tell her, ‘I’m going to be your human backboard. You hit the ball to me and I will hit it back to you. But if you want me to chase after it, that’s not going to happen anymore,'” Elrod said.
She was eventually diagnosed with arthritis, and as the pain began affecting her everyday life, she decided it was time to consider knee replacement surgery.
“It was at that moment I thought, ‘I’m going to retire here soon, and I want to be able to keep up with my grandchildren and travel with my husband,'” Elrod said. “That kind of sealed the decision for me.”
Traditionally, knee replacement surgery involves cutting through part of a tendon to access the knee joint. At The Christ Hospital, orthopedic surgeon Dr. Dinesh Thawrani says a newer muscle-sparing approach, also known as Jiffy Knee Replacement, is designed to preserve muscles and tendons, helping some patients recover more quickly.
“That saves a lot of time patients spend afterwards for the recovery because muscle itself takes a long time for six weeks to strengthen,” Thawrani said.
Thawrani said most patients are candidates for the procedure. After several weeks of healing and physical therapy, many can return to everyday activities, though he recommends avoiding high-impact exercises such as running.
“Because when you are running, you are constantly pounding the pressure on the artificial joints,” he said.
For Elrod, recovery meant returning to another sport she quickly grew to love: pickleball.
Although she expected six to eight weeks of recovery, she said she healed faster than anticipated and experienced very little pain. Now she’s back on the court and enjoying an active retirement.
“It just was really good to be able to move around on a smaller court and, again, be somewhat competitive, but just have fun getting out and moving,” Elrod said.
Javari Burnett
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