Knee Replacement: Teaming Up for Success

How Dr. Bernasek helped one patient stay active after a knee replacement.

My name is Marty Petty. I will be 60 years old in a month. I’m a journalist in a media executive. I grew up in a very athletic family. I’ve been a runner, soccer. I had my third hip replacement in May 6 of 2001. I did all the wrong things. I made mistakes. When I met Dr. Bernasek I thought I’d been given a gift.

She is a classic patient, I think for the new era, the modern millennium, as we say it. She’s much younger and it is likely that increased activity that she’s undertaken throughout her life that has led to her joints wearing a little more rapidly than she would have liked.

So I said, Dr.B., I want a perfect outcome. What do I have to do? And he said, drop 25 pounds right away. And I said, okay. In October of ’07 Dr. Bernasek performed a total right arthroplasty on my knee. And it was a fabulous experience. I mean, it really was. I had this hip done at Christmas 2010, I’ve got pictures of him coming in right after surgery in my room. You have got to be patient. You have to be disciplined. You have to be rigorous. I was in the gym with my knee and my hip. I was in the gym like I think within three weeks there’s not an exercise I can’t do really. We know that technology has improved to the point now where patients really do very well for a long time. Dr. Bernasek has made just a huge difference. He’s made a huge impact to the point that right now I’m writing a book.

Mrs. Petty exemplifies the type of patient we love to have because when the surgeon does his part correctly and the patient does their part correctly, success is almost guaranteed.