Will I Be Able to Run After Knee Surgery?

Are You Concerned About Returning to Physical Activities After Knee Surgery?

“Will I be able to run again after knee surgery?”

This is a common question we hear at All-Pro Orthopedics, not just from our professional athlete clients but from anyone who leads an active lifestyle before needing it.

The biggest concern of all our patients is “how soon will I recover,” and will I ever be able to “run, “bike,” “climb,” “dance,” or whatever their physical passion is – again?

Thanks to the latest techniques available to us today, in most cases, our answer is an enthusiastic “yes!” This is because, at All-Pro, we take a different approach that avoids complete knee replacement whenever alternative techniques to repair, regenerate, and replace damaged cartilage and ligaments are possible for the case at hand.

These kinds of restorative knee surgeries, along with partial knee replacements, are designed to keep our professional clients running marathons, basepaths, or touchdowns and help our everyday patients continue to do the physical things they love.

Our doctors have come to realize that at least eighty percent of people who are told they need a total knee replacement and, therefore, “will never run again” do not actually need such an invasive and intensive procedure.

Why is This the Case?

First, your knees don’t wear out all over the place; damage due to wear and tear is usually concentrated on one side or the other. There are many stages of joint deterioration before a complete wearing down of the articular cartilage occurs, which could require a total knee replacement.

If they’re not yet to that horrifically painful “bone-on-bone stage,” there’s the possibility of a “biologic knee replacement,” which is a technique where we repair, replace and use stem cells to help the patient regrow meniscus cartilage.

Learn more here: Four Myths About Knee Replacement

Furthermore, even patients who may have reached that bone-on-bone stage may still be eligible for a partial knee replacement, where only the worn-out part of the knee is replaced, not the entire knee joint. Our goal is always to get the maximum result with minimally invasive surgery.

Take arthroscopic surgery, for example. Arthroscopic surgery is a less invasive procedure and the recovery period is far shorter. With arthroscopy, a camera about the size of a pencil is inserted into your knee. While seeing inside your knee via an image on a video monitor, the surgeon inserts tiny instruments to repair or remove any damaged tissue.

There is another type of treatment for damaged knees, called ligament reconstruction. Any of the four ligaments in the knee can be surgically repaired by using a piece of healthy tendon from the patient’s own body or a donor. Again, this type of surgery is preferable to knee replacement when applicable.

What these and other techniques mean for all the runners, dancers, skiers, or bikers who’ve been told they can’t “XYZ” again, often they can!

Knee Surgery At All-Pro Orthopedics

As you can see, patients with damaged or deteriorating knees no longer have to resign themselves to a lifetime of pain and limited mobility. Suppose pain is interfering with your quality of life.

In that case, you could be a candidate for one of our state-of-the-art knee surgeries, such as arthroscopy, knee replacement, or ligament reconstruction, which can get you back up on your feet again.

There are several new and advanced procedures, some of which are minimally invasive such as arthroscopy, that can relieve pain and return you to running, biking, dancing, or whatever it is that you love in a surprisingly short amount of time.

However, not everyone who performs these procedures has the same level of experience and expertise. There are few, if any, in South Florida who has been doing knee surgery it as long as All-Pro.

At All-Pro, we have the training and experience to confidently perform knee surgery in Palmetto, Pembroke Pines, West Palm Beach, and Hollywood.

The results of knee surgery at All-Pro Orthopedics & Sports Medicine can be life-changing. Ultimately you will want to meet with an orthopedic surgeon or sports medicine specialist to see which type of surgery is right for you.

You can contact one of our friendly appointment specialists at (954) 399-5976 to schedule your initial consultation.