Is knee pain slowing you down and making it difficult to live your best life?
Mike Keipert knows this struggle well. When his knee joints were bone on bone from years of heavy lifting at his job, he knew he needed to take action and called the St. Elizabeth Total Joint Center.
Some knee pain patients are willing to wait until their pain is severely limiting their lives before undergoing surgery, while other patients are ready to get back to sports and their active lifestyle.
Mike fell into both of those categories. Before his first knee replacement, he was in so much pain that he had to quit his delivery job of more than 35 years. He underwent his first knee replacement in January 2013 with Dr. Matthew Hummel of OrthoCincy at St. Elizabeth – and noticed such an improvement in his quality of life that he went ahead with his other knee replacement surgery with Dr. Hummel in January 2014.
“I would definitely recommend getting it done,” says Mike. “I’m 70 years old and sure, I have aches and pains. But not with my knees. I can’t believe how great they feel. Dr. Hummel did an amazing job.”
After Mike had recovered from his first knee replacement in 2013, he signed up to walk his first 5K race – and enjoyed it so much he made it a hobby. He’s pretty successful at it, too – he participates in ten to twelve races each year and usually wins for walkers in his age group. He’s also met a lot of really nice people.
“Some of the same retired people go to these races, so I have friends that I walk with,” says Mike. “It’s nice to have the company and a bit of conversation. Our group looks out for each other.”
Mike was in the Marine Corps and has always lived by the motto “be the best you can be.” He said he has applied that in every aspect of his life, from his job to his knee replacement recoveries.
“You really have to put forth a lot of effort in your recovery,” says Mike. “If you don’t, you won’t get the full extension of your knee. I worked hard at it but I would definitely recommend getting it done.”
If you’re at a 5K event in the Tristate area, keep an eye out for Mike at the finish line – or on the awards podium.
Get on your feet with St. Elizabeth
If you are interested in learning more about treatments for knee pain, including knee replacement surgery, please call (859) 301-2663 (BONE) to schedule an appointment with our Orthopaedic team.
If you’d like to get walking or running, join us at the Jingle Bell Run at 10 a.m. on December 9, 2017. For more information visit the St. Elizabeth Healthcare Sponsored Runs and Walks page.
