When Surgery Restores More Than Health

By Tracie Foster

“Honey, I’m old,” says 75-year-old Cheryl Brown with a laugh. As a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Cheryl has learned that life does not stop moving. You just have to find a way to keep up.

In the fall of 2023, she found herself in a peculiar situation. “I was outside trying to catch one of my cats that had gotten out of the house. She ran into our grapevines, and when I went to reach for her, I fell on one of the roots, hitting my right knee.” 

For years, Cheryl struggled with arthritis in her right knee and lived with constant pain. After the fall in the backyard, the pain worsened. Hoping to find some relief, she made an appointment with her primary care provider. 

At this appointment, it was determined that Cheryl would need further evaluation. She was referred to McLeod Orthopaedics in Florence, where she met Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Chad Thurman. 

“At my first appointment with Dr. Thurman, he presented all the treatment options, from steroid injections to knee replacement surgery,” says Cheryl. “After weighing my options, I asked if we could start with the steroid injections. 

“Dr. Thurman looked at me and said, ‘Mrs. Brown, I will do whatever you prefer. We will see how the steroid works, but if you get to the point where the pain is unbearable or it starts affecting your quality of life, I’ll be here ready to discuss your next steps.’”

“It is important to present all treatment options to each patient, from least invasive to most invasive,” says Dr. Thurman. “Taking into consideration additional medical concerns, the recommendation is usually to begin with the least invasive treatment. 

“However, it is important to me that my patients know the decision is ultimately theirs. I try to put myself in their shoes and think about how this pain is affecting them on a daily basis and give them the best medical advice possible.”

For several months, the steroid injections helped tremendously with the pain in Cheryl’s knee, but in June 2024, things began to change.

“After a while, the pain would not go away,” she remembers. “There were days I could not even walk. I went to my follow-up appointment with Dr. Thurman and told him I was ready for surgery.”

The decision to move forward with surgery did not come lightly. Yet, Cheryl found reassurance in Dr. Thurman’s honesty about what to expect. 

“I like it when people are candid with me, and Dr. Thurman was exactly that. He told me that it was going to hurt at first, but if I was willing to put in the work after surgery and be consistent with my post-surgery therapy, each day would get better. And I appreciated that.”

The surgery recommended in Cheryl’s case was a robotic-assisted total knee replacement. During this procedure, the surgeon, using robotic assistance, removes the damaged bone and cartilage within the knee and replaces it with artificial components made of metal and high-grade plastic. 

This type of surgery is most often recommended for patients whose joint damage, typically caused by arthritis or injury, has resulted in chronic pain and limited mobility. 

The goal is to relieve pain, restore function and improve the patient’s overall quality of life when conservative treatments are no longer effective.

When the day of surgery arrived, everything moved quickly and smoothly. 

Just hours after the procedure, Cheryl was walking and went home that same day. 

Within five weeks, she was back on her feet, moving through her day with ease and enjoying the things she had not been able to do in over a year because of the pain in her knee. 

Reflecting on her experience, Cheryl describes it in one word: “Awesome. Absolutely awesome. From the nurses to the anesthesiologist to Dr. Thurman and the entire office staff, everyone was amazing.” 

When asked what she would say to others who may be hesitant about knee replacement surgery, without skipping a beat, Cheryl responded, “Bite the bullet! When you get to the point where you cannot walk or move without being in pain, what kind of life is that? 

“Dr. Thurman and the team at McLeod Orthopaedics truly care and want to help you get back to a pain-free life.”