Editor’s Note: Ron carefully prepared for his knee replacement surgery. He learned a lot from his wife’s recovery from total knee replacement and put his new knowledge to work. An highly active person, Ron’s expectations were very high for his ability to get back to athletics after surgery.

A Windsurfing Accident

In the summer of 1991 I injured my right knee while windsurfing. One of my favorite pastimes was sailing over the water at high speed. My injury was not a tear of the ACL, but a severe stretching of the ligaments of my right knee. The EMT informed me that if I had not been wearing a wetsuit that fit very snuggly, my knee would have ended up in the next county!

Fast forward to the spring of 2019. While skiing in Austria with our family my wife Carol and I were discussing our desire to get both of our knees fixed so we would not have the constant pain. Carol had a knee injury when young, and also had been putting up with pain for many years. Upon visiting with Dr. Verner, Carol learned that she was a candidate for Total Knee replacement. I followed up with an appointment as well and discovered that I also should schedule for the same surgery. I discovered that I had no remaining meniscus in my knee and that the bone on bone condition was the cause of my pain.

My Wife’s Progress with X10

As I had already scheduled for Shoulder Replacement Surgery, we decided that Carol would have her knee done, followed by my shoulder 4 weeks later. Then after recovering from my shoulder, I would follow up with knee replacement 8 weeks later. All went well with Carol, and I helped her with her recovery. She had been selected to be a part of the trial of the X10 machine trial, and her progress was amazing! Just two weeks post surgery we were out walking at Kensington Metro Park. I was very pleased with her recovery and I inquired if I may be a part of the trial to aid in my recovery. Dr. Verner’s office was very helpful and agreed that I would also have the X10 to help me recover following surgery.

My Turn on the Machine

The X10 machine was delivered two weeks prior to my scheduled knee surgery. The pre-surgery use of the machine really helped with my range of motion. For many years, the muscles of my right leg had shortened a lot due to my compensating for the pain In my knee. I had really never realized how tight the muscles were until I started up the X10!

Pre-Surgery Preparation

During the two weeks of pre-surgery with the X10 I was still going to re-hab for my shoulder and completed my shoulder rehabilitation on the day prior to my knee surgery. My provider was local, only a few miles from my home. I would dedicate three hours a day, three times a week to rehab. All went well and I had a very strong recovery.

I must say that my providers were very professional and helped me a lot. What a difference it was to have the X10 to help me with recovery for my knee. All I needed to do was roll out of bed and climb on to the machine and run through my routine.

The Advantage of X10

The advantage of having the machine at home, combined with the excellent coaching and support of Erin really kept me focused on recovery. She was there either in person or via text or phone calls to keep me motivated and moving forward. Erin had also coached Carol during her recovery, and we both feel she is a great asset for the X10 program.

I must admit there was a certain amount of competition as I was motivated to beat Carol’s record of progress! Erin informed me early on that when I encountered stiffness in the joint, it was actually the tightness in my muscles from not being elongated for so many years. Pushing through this hurdle was the hardest part for me. I combined warming the muscles prior to exercise and following up with ice to reduce swelling.

My Progress

I made very good progress with the machine and included a lot of walking and movement to help with the healing process. The other exercises included in the program to provide strengthening were very helpful as well. I think overall the design and operation of the machine is excellent and my personal opinion is it should be made available to anyone undergoing such a life-changing surgery.

My wife and I both feel our recovery would not have been nearly as fast, or complete without the use of the X10, and we are both very grateful to have been chosen for the trial. It is my sincere hope that you are granted coverage through other insurance providers so that everyone may have a chance to recover with the X10 program.

I am Invisible No More

An awareness campaign created by Effie Koliopoulus

Effie has been working on this project for more than two years. The goal is to created broad awareness of conditions that to the casual observer appears to be non-existent, or invisible. Conditions like fibromyalgia, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome… even migraine headaches. You might even call it a “don’t judge a book by it’s cover” initiative.

To see Parts 2 and 3 of ‘I am invisible no more’ use the links below:

• I Am Invisible No More Part 2
• I am Invisible No More Part 3

To learn more about Effie’s work related to rheumatoid arthritis visit her website and blog here: Rising Above RA

Two resources for you below. Both are email series that we created to help those who need some additional thinking for pre-surgery and post-surgery.