Sharon Orr

Sharon Orr loves being a teacher. But when she developed arthritis in both of her knees, her love for teaching began to fade.

Sharon remarks, "I have never been a teacher that sat at my desk and graded papers. I was interactive and I liked to work with the kids. I liked to be at their level. I liked to kneel down and talk to them one-on-one. The parts of my job that I loved to do just became too painful and I became a very sedentary kind of teacher. I would have to sit and the kids would have to come to me and it made me sad. I was really considering early retirement because I was teaching the way I never wanted to teach."

Sharon discussed knee replacement with her orthopedic surgeon, but she just wasn't ready. But that soon changed. Sharon remembers, "Well, I guess what really started to motivate me was, I was walking down the hall with my class one day, and I happened to turn around, which I do a lot when [I'm] walking with third-graders down the hall. I noticed that a couple of my ornery boys were mocking me and the way I walked. One of my legs was straight-legged and I walk with a limp."

Because Sharon had osteoarthritis in both knees, she decided to have her knee replacements performed at the same time. She remembers, "After I woke up from surgery I was on my feet. It seemed that it was almost immediately that I was walking, but I'm sure it was actually 2-3 hours before I was [up] after surgery."

Soon after her surgery, Sharon started her physical therapy program. Physical therapy was an important part of Sharon's recovery. She recalls, "I was optimistic from the very beginning. I wanted to recover quickly and I wanted to be without pain. And that desire and motivation really helped [me] recover more quickly and stick to the [therapy] program."

Sharon continues, "During therapy, I was shown how to walk up stairs and how to get in and out of bed safely. I initially used a walker, so they showed me how to use that. But the most important thing for me to do was to be sitting up, bending my knees, walking, and exercising my joints so they would heal."

When asked what she would tell others about her experience with total knee replacement, Sharon says, "I would definitely tell anyone who is considering knee replacement to take the exercises very seriously. The more seriously you take the exercises, the better your outcome can be. Even though I've always dreaded exercising, I know that my recovery went very smoothly because I did my exercises and took them very seriously."

Now that she has fully recovered from surgery, Sharon remarks, "My students at school are pretty amazed because they have gone through this process with me. They've seen me come to visit them with a walker, then they saw me come in with two canes, and now they're kind of amazed that I'm walking around the room. I'm able to see all of their little movements and be at their level."

Sharon shares her final thoughts about surgery, "I feel like I had a very good outcome from my surgery because of my attitude. And I really wanted to proceed to a normal life, which I hadn't had in a long time, and I'm thrilled."

This article is meant solely as a human interest story and is not meant to constitute medical advice. Individual results may vary. Surgery involves potential risks and requires recovery time. The life of any joint replacement will depend on your age, weight, activity level, and other factors. Only an orthopedic surgeon can determine if surgery is right for you. For risks regarding joint replacement, visit www.biomet.com and talk to your orthopedic surgeon.

Not all patients are candidates for total knee replacement. Only your orthopedic surgeon can tell you if you are a candidate for joint replacement surgery and, if so, which implant is right for your specific needs. You should discuss your condition and treatment options with your surgeon.

The persons named in this article have consented to be named and have given Biomet, Inc. the exclusive right to use their personal and medical information for educational purposes.