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At 42 years old, most people don’t expect to need a total knee replacement. After living with chronic pain for decades, however, Renee Garcia says the surgery gave her something she thought she had lost for good: her freedom. “I had a total knee replacement two years ago and I’ve never felt better,” Garcia said.
Young problems
Garcia’s knee problems began early. At 17, she severely injured her left knee while playing high school soccer. She turned down a knee replacement in her 20s, choosing instead to rehab the injury herself and push through the pain. But as the years passed, the damage worsened. She developed arthritis and her damaged knee lost all the cartilage cushioning. In her 30s, she consulted an orthopedic surgeon who advised her to wait as long as possible before pursuing replacement surgery.
“He told me I was too young,” Garcia shared. “At that time, knee replacement didn’t last long enough. It would only have taken me into my 60s, and I would have needed another one. I focused on improving my range of motion and managing the pain, but eventually it was just unbearable.”
In 2024, she made an appointment with Bryant Bonner, MD, at Washington Health’s Institute for Joint Restoration and Research. Dr. Bonner uses cementless, press-fit knee replacement technology to promote natural bone ingrowth into the implant, aiming for increased stability and longer-lasting, more active, and durable results. “That appointment changed my life,” she said. “He told me I was 90% bone on bone. He explained my options, and we decided to do a total knee replacement.”
Post-op support
Garcia stayed with her parents for the first three weeks after surgery while focusing on recovery and physical therapy. Dr. Bonner had encouraged her to put as much weight on the leg as possible early in recovery, and she committed fully to the rehabilitation process. A therapist came to the house three times a week to help her regain strength and mobility.
And while the surgery was exactly the right fit for her lifestyle, Garcia said the recovery process was intimidating. The first week, especially at night, was very painful, but after that, something shifted. “We worked on my range of motion and making sure that I was able to get to a 90-degree bend,” Garcia explained. “Once you get the hang of it and it’s go time, you just do it. You have to get that range of motion back, and you don’t want scar tissue. And believe it or not, the movement actually felt good. We were strengthening the muscles that supported the knee, while making sure I had the range of motion I needed.”
Therapy focused not only on the knee itself, but also on correcting years of compensation patterns caused by chronic pain. Using resistance bands, stretching exercises, and strength training, she slowly rebuilt her mobility. After six months of rehabilitation, she returned to the gym and began focusing on her overall fitness again.
“I had gained a little weight because I was sitting around due to the pain,” she recalled. “After surgery, I lost that weight. I noticed I could finally walk heel-to-toe again, instead of walking on the outside of my foot to avoid using my knee.”
A new freedom
Before surgery, daily life revolved around pain management. As the breakfast cook at Washington Health, she spends long days on her feet. Before surgery, every shift came with a cost. “If I worked a double shift one day, I knew I’d have to stay home and elevate my knee the next day,” she said. “I used to count my steps to make sure my right foot would hit the curb first because my left knee wasn’t strong enough.”
The lack of independence and mobility was frustrating for Garcia, who is fiercely independent. Those limitations are now a distant memory, largely due to the care and communication she received from Dr. Bonner and his staff throughout the process.
“The way Dr. Bonner explained everything to me, the time he took with me, being able to email him questions, he and his staff took really, really good care of me,” she said. “He reached out right after surgery to make sure I was OK. He also took the time to explain everything to my parents. People come from all over just to see him, and it makes me proud that I’m one of his patients.”
Her best life
Garcia noted everyday moments now feel extraordinary. She can ride her bike, or work double shifts if needed. She walks every day and plays soccer and softball again.
“Every day is kind of like a wow factor for me,” she said. “Before, I would just go home after work exhausted and sit because I hurt so much. Now I go home, take a shower, hop on my bike, and hit the trails around my house.”
One milestone stands out above the rest: hiking Diamond Head in Hawaii. “After I got my knee replacement, I wanted to go to Hawaii and hike Diamond Head,” she said. “It was something I never would have been able to do before. The view from the top was everything I hoped it would be.”
For years, she watched friends go hiking and biking without her. She was always left out because of her bad knee. Now she’s right there with them. Pain no longer restricts her life. “I didn’t realize how much I missed living,” she stated. “The pain and lack of mobility don’t define me anymore. I’m truly living my best life.”
For more information about Dr. Bryant Bonner, visit www.sahortho.com/about/meet-dr-bryant-bonner and for more information on the Institute for Joint Restoration and Research, visit WashingtonHealth.com/IJRR.