Nancy Elliott – Knee Replacement Success Story

It’s time to be pain-free

Nancy went home two days after her procedure, and within weeks, her Great Pyrenees mix, Belvedere, was enjoying his nightly walks again.

There once was a time when Nancy Elliott was extremely active. She played in an adult softball league, cycled, and did tai chi.

That was 15 years ago, before she tore the meniscus in her left knee. Surgery fixed the tear, but Nancy made a detrimental mistake: She skipped her physical therapy. In no time, new pain formed, this time in her kneecap.

“It got to the point that it was all I thought about,” the Garland resident says. “I didn’t want to go anywhere or do anything because it hurt.”

A CT scan revealed that Nancy’s knee joint was bone on bone, but she was apprehensive about knee replacement surgery. Finally, in 2012, Nancy found Diane Litke, MD, on the medical staff at Methodist Richardson Medical Center.

Because Nancy still wasn’t quite ready to choose surgery, Dr. Litke first prescribed some conservative therapies, such as steroid injections and weight loss. But what Nancy really needed was a new knee.

“I never once thought that the surgery wouldn’t be a success; I had the utmost confidence in Dr. Litke,” Nancy says. “I just had to be ready to go through the process.”

That time came in summer 2014.

What’s new about new knees

Knee replacements today are far more effective than in years past, now lasting

25 to 30 years. Dr. Litke says that starts with the quality of the replacement itself.

“We do 100 percent custom-built knees for our patients,” Dr. Litke says. “The knees fit exactly, and people are recovering more quickly and experiencing more natural movement.”

The day after surgery, the team at Methodist Richardson was already helping Nancy walk.

“The more quickly patients get moving, the fewer complications and less pain they experience and the faster they get out of the hospital,” Dr. Litke says.

Nancy went home two days after her procedure, and within weeks, her Great Pyrenees mix, Belvedere, was enjoying his nightly walks again — and Nancy was enjoying being 40 pounds lighter from the exercise.

“Life is pretty awesome,” she says.

No time like the present

Dr. Litke encourages anyone with persistent knee pain to seek medical care.

“It doesn’t mean you need a joint replacement, but we might be able to delay getting a new joint with other treatments,” she says.

For people whose pain is truly unbearable, both she and Nancy share one piece of advice: Don’t be afraid of a new knee.

“You’ll be able to take control of your life and not let pain be the focus,” Nancy says. “It will change your life for the better.”

ARE YOU READY?

Methodist Richardson’s hip, knee, and shoulder replacement programs are all certified by The Joint Commission. If you’re ready to consider a new joint, call 214-947-6926 today.