My Left Knee: A twisted, torn and crooked love story of surgeries, cycling and my new active life after total knee replacement

My Left Knee at six weeks. Looking bizarre but solid!

My special relationship with my left knee began when I was ski racing in high school, took a bad fall and badly twisted and tore my meniscus and broke my ACL. To say the least, my life has never been the same. Realizing that I to protect and strengthen my healing joint, cycling became my activity of choice and thus was born my life-long passion for pedaling. Bicycling not only strengthened my quads and knee ligaments but it also expanded my horizons as I began pedaling farther and farther from my Keene, NH home. As much as I cursed my knee injury, it led me to a life of bicycle travel and while other impact sports were painful, over the years my left knee has put on more biking mileage than your average car.

Biking in Nambia in 2014 yes but hiking becoming painful

Over the years however my knee joint continued to degenerate to bone on bone. I had two more surgeries and considered cartilage replacement until the specialist shook his head and said it’s too late. Running was out of the question. Tennis forget it. Playful soccer or just playing around with my kids, ouch. Downhill skiing, no thanks. Even horseback riding hurt. Biking however was never a problem. With my little old knee I’ve biked all around Europe, up Mt Washington twice and over the steepest Dolomite passes. I credit low gears, strong thighs and my high RPM cycling style to giving my knee 30+ years of joyful spinning service.

I probably could have stuck to cycling and been fine for the rest of my life but I love too many other outdoor activities so when my annual fall hike up and down Mt Monadnock with my kids became impossibly painful and my knee bowed and bulged out like that of a little old lady, I had no choice but to accept the inevitable advice from my cousin, John Hefferon, Chicago Bulls orthopedic surgeon extraordinaire—total knee replacement.

It took two more years of walking on a badly crooked knee and staring at a severely atrophied left calf to make the big decision to say goodbye to my worn out joint and welcome a high tech titanium one. In the months leading to surgery my new best friends were those who had gone under the knife (and bone saw) and encouragingly told me that knee replacement surgery had given them a new lease on their active life and, knowing how much I cycled, that I was going to be at the top of my knee replacement class.

My last painful trip to Peru with my well worn knee.

So on April 27^th, after a ten-day trip to Peru with my daughter and many painful prayers to the gods of Machu Picchu, I took the emotional ride to my surgery at New England Baptiste Hospital, the specialists in orthopedic surgery. The wonderful nurses consoled my fear and gave me drugs to relieve my anxiety. I took silly selfies and shared them with my family then, before I knew it, I was wheeled to my room with my swollen little old knee wrapped-up in white gauze like an early birthday present.

 The three days in the hospital and post op was intensely painful to say the least. I have had two rotator cuff surgeries but this one took the cake. The swelling, stiffness and immobility of month one was very rough but I had so many caring family, friends, colleagues and my knee-replacement peers keeping my spirits up. Managing pain meds, ice packs and pillows in my temporary couch life taxed my patience and nerves. PT was at times brutal but thanks to my years of cycling, my strength and flexibility was very good and finally I had a straight leg and normal looking joint.

Within two weeks I was able to pedal my bike trainer on my back porch for 15 minutes. Month two was much better. I began cycling 20 miles a day on the bike path and eventually got on the road to ride 30 miles of rolling roads. Sigh. Smile. Repeat.

 At my first post-op visit with my surgeon, he gave me some encouraging news: I was among the top 1% of patient recoveries for total knee replacement. I have a life of cycling to thank for that. Years of cycling kept my joint loose and my muscles and ligaments strong. Even though walking over a mile was still painful and the swelling and stiffness got the best of me when I sat or stood for too long, by the end of month two, I could bike 40 miles, no problem.

I am now 90+ days past my April 27^th surgery and I can finally see to the other side of a much more active, pain-free life of hiking, downhill skiing, tennis, dancing and maybe even ultimate Frisbee. The ultimate test was a 5-mile steep hill climb up the backside of The Island of Lipari. I wasn’t fast, standing on my pedals hurt but it felt great to be back doing what I loved most. Walking long distances is still painful but cycling once again proves to be the ultimate medicine and fountain of youth—the empowering mental and physical healer, bar none.

Cycling around the challengin Island of Lipari at 90 days post surgery

My new joint and I are still getting to know each other. My muscles are much stronger and the joint pain is gone. Occasionally my new friend buckles and slips but I know that’s just a reminder to just keep biking. I am told that it will take a year before it will be 100% but I am in no hurry now and know a steady diet of cycling will push that up to six months.

I am still not in love with the large scar that crosses my old high school knee surgery scar but I consider it a real-life tattoo that tells a long and zig zagging tale of my left knee and me. Good bye old left knee, thank you, you served me but it’s time for a new chapter, a long, strong and renewed active life riding into the Patagonia sunset with my new titanium knee. 

Patagonia Ponies here I come!