“I feel very lucky he was the doctor who took care of me.”
December 19, 2024
Kathy Roden is a 75-year-old retiree who has been an avid traveler most of her life. Her travels and much of her daily routine were put on hold after she suffered a knee injury that made it difficult for her to stand and walk. Initially misdiagnosed, it was not until Roden got a second opinion from a TexomaCare orthopedic surgeon that her recovery truly began.
One morning in October 2022 while getting out of bed, Roden squatted down and felt a sharp pain in her knee. The pain persisted for over a month, and her primary care physician referred her to an orthopedic facility in Durant. After an MRI scan, she was told she had torn her meniscus and underwent surgery and physical therapy not long after that.
Getting a second opinion
Roden participated in physical therapy for six months following her surgery, but the pain in her knee remained as sharp as it had been since she suffered the injury. She eventually decided to get a second opinion, and this time her primary care physician referred her to Charles Whittenburg, DO, an orthopedic surgeon at TexomaCare-Orthopedic and Spine Surgery.
Dr. Whittenburg chose to run an X-ray with Roden standing up. “I prefer to X-ray a patient’s knee in the standing position because this gives a clearer picture of the amount of joint space they have remaining. This speaks to the residual amount of cartilage they have in their knee,” Dr. Whittenburg says. “If they are ‘bone-on-bone’ in a compartment of the knee, that means the cartilage wear is advanced and they may require a partial or full knee replacement.”
“As soon as he saw the image, he knew it was a bone-on-bone joint injury. He told me a meniscus repair won’t fix that,” Roden says.” He recommended knee replacement surgery, and I agreed to the procedure.”
Joint camp before surgery
Before any joint surgery at Texoma Medical Center, patients participate in a one-day class known as Joint Camp. The course helps them prepare for their procedure and the recovery process after it. It is run by the hospital’s Joint, Spine and Bariatric Coordinator, Misty Robbins, and members of the physical therapy department.
“Our philosophy is comprehensive education. We teach them what to expect before the surgery, the diet they should be on, how to get their home ready for post-op recovery, medications and any concerns they may have,” Robbins says. “We also work with them to set up home healthcare with a provider of their choice and help them with discharge planning. We want them to leave class with all their questions answered and feeling like they are ready to go.”
“It was great having the opportunity to ask questions,” Roden says of her experience at Joint Camp. “Misty walked me through the process very well. I didn’t feel like there were any surprises thanks to that.”
Knee replacement surgery
Roden’s knee replacement surgery took place about a month after her first visit with Dr. Whittenburg and a week after Joint Camp.
“A complete knee replacement, after all the implants are inserted and positioned, can take about 45 minutes of operative time,” Dr. Whittenburg says. “We usually spend another 20 to 30 minutes making sure we do a very high-quality wound closure to minimize the chances of any wound complications or infections.”
The procedure was successful without any major complications. The next morning, physical therapists had her up and moving with a walker.
“They stressed the importance of how to walk without putting weight on your back leg. That was very helpful,” she says.”
Back to her daily routine and travels
After leaving the hospital the day after her surgery, Roden spent six weeks doing physical therapy with a home healthcare provider. She is back to doing yard work every day, and she and her husband were walking two miles a day to help her rebuild her strength.
“Putting direct weight on my replaced knee is not ideal, but it doesn’t keep me from doing things,” Roden says. “A cushion helps, and I can pray sitting down.”
Roden has put her new knee to the test with her resumed travels. Last May, she and her husband took a road trip to Oregon to visit their new great-granddaughter and did a lot of sightseeing along the way there and back. In January they drove their granddaughter back to college in Atlanta. They also visited Nashville, New Orleans, Philadelphia and Niagara Falls since her recovery.
Looking back on her experience, Roden is thankful for the care she received and happy to be back to doing the things she loves.
“Dr. Whittenburg is so good at what he does and really knows his stuff,” she says. He’s a really nice guy, and I feel very lucky he was the doctor who took care of me.”