Brother & Sister Applaud Orthopedic Doctor for Solving Hip Pain and Knee Pain Woes

Part I: Adrienne’s Knee Pain Before Partial Knee Replacement

Adrienne, 74, has been an IBJI patient since 1993. She originally sought help for a tibia fracture when she was working as a school teacher. 

Years later, after retiring, she was enjoying many activities, including daily exercise. But one day, she noticed knee pain in her right knee that grew increasingly worse over time.

“I would walk at the track every morning at the Wilmette Park District with a group of people,” Adrienne explained. “After a while, I couldn’t do that.”

Knee Pain From Climbing Stairs

Adrienne also started having difficulty climbing the 28 stairs in her house and she discovered that it was painful to perform her normal circuit training exercises at the fitness center. “It was just another indication that I needed to get some help,” she says. “It impacted my life enough that I needed to follow through.”

Visit with Alexander Gordon, MD for Knee Pain

Adrienne knew about Alexander Gordon, MD, an IBJI orthopedic surgeon fellowship-trained in lower extremity reconstruction, because he grew up with her children. “They went to grammar school, high school and college together,” she says. “We knew of Alex and his reputation and so when I was having pain, I saw him.”

Dr. Gordon began knee pain treatment with the most minimally invasive approach, keeping a watchful eye on her knee and trying steroid injections first to alleviate the knee pain. This got her through several months, but when the knee pain returned, he determined that a partial knee replacement surgery would alleviate her knee pain problem.

Surgery to Solve Knee Pain

“I knew the recovery would be much better, and he got the best people to come to my home for rehab,” Adrienne says. She added that Dr. Gordon also helped her husband to identify the root cause of his knee pain. “He gave him such great advice, and it ended up being his back, not his knee, that was causing his problem,” she said. 

Preparing for Partial Knee Replacement Surgery

“The pre-care was just as wonderful as the after-care,” Adrienne said. “Dr. Gordon’s staff was so fabulous to talk to. They knew what medications I was taking and told me how long I’d be in the hospital. I had one overnight stay and then went home the next day.”

Recovering from Partial Knee Replacement Surgery

Adrienne’s partial knee replacement surgery was in February of 2018. She had minimal knee pain following the surgery, going home with an ice machine which was recommended by Dr. Gordon.

A physical therapist visited her at home when she was discharged, and within a few weeks, she was back to doing all the normal activities she had enjoyed prior to surgery, but this time without knee pain. “I’m still pain-free,” she says. 

Although the pandemic has halted Adrienne’s normal routine visiting the fitness center that’s close to her house, she has been just as active at home without any knee pain. “I have a recumbent bike and I do several miles on that almost four times a week,” she says. “I watch some exercises on YouTube and do those, too.”

Solving Knee Pain and Hip Pain with the Right Orthopedic Surgeon

Adrienne’s knee pain was gone, and she felt so positive about her experience that she referred her brother Barry to Dr. Gordon after he began to experience major hip pain.

“If I hadn’t had such a wonderful experience, my brother’s life wouldn’t have been changed,” Adrienne says. “I can’t tell you how many people I have sent to Dr. Gordon.”

Let us be your guide back to a fully functioning knee. Get relief for your knee pain.

This post is the first in a two-part series about how Dr. Alexander Gordon helped two siblings in their 70s move better and live better with specialized orthopedic treatments. Read Adrienne’s brother Barry’s life-changing story.