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Knee Replacement Nightmare
In the past ten months Lois has endured a TKA, MUA, torn patellar tendon, full leg cast, and an arthroscopic surgery on her left knee. And throughout most of this time she faithfully visited her local clinic trying to get better. A true knee replacement nightmare for the bulk of a year.
All that work, rehab, hardware, surgery time… added up to… well the $300,000 knee. Lois shares her story in part two of our interview, seven months later. Click the Play button above to hear our interview on The Bee’s Knees Podcast with Lois.
In plain English, and in order:
- A total knee replacement
- Two months of rehab
- A knee bending procedure when recovery does not go well, called a Manipulation Under Anesthesia.
- In the MUA Lois’ patellar tendon was torn (the connection from the knee cap to the shin bone)
- Patellar tendon repair surgery
- Six (6) weeks in a leg cast
- Three (3) months of outpatient rehab
- Arthroscopic surgery to clean out scar tissue
- And finally, she thinks, the path to recovery.

At the time of this writing, 10 months after the initial surgery, Lois thinks she can put this surgery behind her. As for the insurance company, Lois’ has early eclipsed the $300,000 knee price tag for her knee replacement. That’s five times the typical cost of just under $50,000. Here is how it breaks down:
- Total Knee Replacement: $90,000
- Patellar Tendon Repair: $100,000
- Arthroscopy: $70,000
- Physical Therapy: $40,000
- Total: $300,000
Listen to Part One of Our Interview with Lois
In February Lois was scheduled to use the X10 for her MUA recovery. In fact we had an X10 machine in her home prior to the procedure, ready to go. And then there was the mishap in the MUA procedure. To hear Lois take us through her initial struggle immediately after her total knee replacement click here or on the picture.
The End to the Knee Replacement Nightmare
We’re so thankful to Lois for sharing her story! Her road to recovery, while not typical, is a testament to a strong will, lots of patience, and a positive attitude. Keep it up Lois… you are almost there!
AND FINALLY…
We’re very pleased to report that Lois did get on the X10 Knee Machine for her recovery and made important progress on her range of motion – both extension and flexion. In fact she saw more than 10 degrees of gains on the X10. Hers is one of the toughest cases you can find. A cautionary tale for certain. Again our hats off to Lois for her contribution to knee surgery recovery with her essential interview with our team.
Knee Recovery Basics
This is a free 15-part email series that runs for 30 days. We give you a broad perspective on all aspects of knee health. And we are highly prescriptive on what you can do right now to solve a tough knee recovery. We explore surgery and recovery and such subjects as ‘The $300,000 Knee’.
Executive Editor: PJ Ewing (info@x10therapy.com)
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.