You name the distance, and Rick Fromm has run it—10Ks, marathons and just about everything in between. But by the spring of 2023, the former University of Kentucky football player had trouble walking without pain, much less running. Fromm had known for over a decade that the cushioning inside his right knee was wearing away, leaving one bone to grind against another. He tried to manage the discomfort until that became impossible.
"It was kind of silly. I thought I could manage it, just kind of work through it," says Fromm, 70, a Norton Healthcare patient. "But it just never got better, and I wasn't able to run like I've done my whole life. I have three grandsons who are very active, and I want to be active with them. And then my knee collapsed while playing golf, and it really took on a whole different sense of urgency."
Fromm is no stranger to knee procedures, having undergone one surgery for torn cartilage during his football days and two others for meniscus issues. Around 15 years ago, his surgeon in Lexington told him he was headed for a knee replacement. "I said, 'Well, I'm going to take it as long as I can,'" Fromm recalls. He began to feel significant pain about two years ago and had just decided to have knee replacement surgery when his knee collapsed on the golf course.
"It hurt. I immediately realized I had waited too long," Fromm says. "I just flat-out waited too long. I told myself and others that I wish I had gotten it done three or four years ago. That would have kept me out of pain and probably even made my recovery that much better."
'The process was exemplary'
Realizing her father needed to get his knee treated as soon as possible, Fromm's daughter Sarah advised her dad to visit Norton Orthopedic Institute in Louisville, where she lives. Within days, Fromm was under the care of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kevin Himschoot. Fromm's right knee, which had become swollen and inflexible, was first drained of fluid. On April 27th, he underwent a total knee replacement, in which the entire knee joint is exchanged for a metal and plastic substitute.
Total knee replacement today is mainly done on an outpatient basis, meaning most patients go home the same day. That was the case for Fromm, who stayed at his daughter's house for two weeks as he underwent postoperative rehabilitation in Louisville before continuing his rehab in Lexington. The surgery itself takes only around an hour, and patients afterward use ice and medications to help relieve postsurgical swelling and pain.
"I can't say enough good things about everybody at Norton," Fromm says. "From start to finish, I thought the process was exemplary. Getting out of the hospital the same day still kind of amazes me. And they make it very clear that the harder you work and the more diligent you are, the better your recovery is going to be. So that's pretty straightforward. I won't minimize how difficult the rehab is—they pushed me, and I didn't always like them. But it went really well."
Patients undergoing hip replacement surgery at Norton Orthopedic Institute experience a similar process: surgery that takes about an hour, patients often going home that same day, and recovery taking six to eight months. "At Norton Orthopedic Institute we employ techniques that make hip replacement less invasive, so you can get back to being active faster," says Dr. Himschoot, who does both knee and hip replacements. Like knee replacement, following a physician's rehabilitation guidelines increases a patient's chances of a positive outcome.
Fromm's recovery from knee replacement surgery went so well, in fact, that he was playing golf again in early June. "It's kind of crazy sometimes when I look at the timeline," he says. "We took our usual family vacation with all the kids and everything, and I was able to be mobile and participate and have fun. Nobody is putting these words in my mouth, but I tell anyone considering knee replacement to do it sooner rather than later. Because I wish I had."
Quality of life restored
The deterioration of the cartilage in the knee or hip affects every patient differently—some begin to feel it as they walk up a flight of stairs, others as they get up out of a chair; still others sense that unwelcome jolt of pain as they take a step on the running track or tennis court. But in most cases, arthritis has worn away the cushioning inside the knee or hip joint, and the pain can become so pronounced that it interferes with playing with grandchildren or even sleep.
"While there's no cure for arthritis, there are many treatments that can slow it down," said Dr. Jeffrey Stephenson, an orthopedic sports medicine specialist at Norton Orthopedic Institute "Depending on your symptoms and type of arthritis, your provider might recommend medication, physical therapy and therapeutic injections. Or your treatments could include corticosteroids or surgery."
If initial treatments prove insufficient, knee or hip replacement becomes an option. The transformational effects of such a procedure are evident in Fromm, who is back to walking five miles every morning on his new right knee, with some intermittent jogging. "The sense of stability is really fantastic," he says. "Before, when I was making contact with my heel or toe, it hurt my knee. And it doesn't do that anymore."
Fromm is living proof of the perils of waiting too long to have joint replacement surgery—and how a patient can have their quality of life restored by the procedure. "I'm probably not going to do any more marathons," Fromm says. "But maybe a half is in my future. And certainly, a 10-K."
Are you or a loved one dealing with chronic knee or hip pain or considering joint replacement surgery? Contact the experts at Norton Orthopedic Institute at (502) 559-5500 or visit their website at NortonHealthcare.com. No referrals are necessary, and appointments can be scheduled online.
To view the Talk of the Town, visit https://www.wdrb.com/community/talk-of-the-town/talk-of-the-town-norton-orthopedic-institute/video_dcd140fc-7298-11ee-ba98-3f93d7c8b5dd.html.
