Alan Schultz had dealt with pain in his left knee for nearly a decade. More recently, however, his throbbing knee was waking him up like clockwork every night at 3 a.m., and he had trouble walking up stairs. At that point, the 65-year-old retiree knew it was time to consult an orthopedic surgeon.
“I was ready to put the pain behind me,” Alan says. “My wife, Kathy, and I have lived in Freehold for the past 32 years, and I knew I wanted my care close to home.”
His research led him to Gregg Berkowitz, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon on staff at CentraState. Because Alan had bone-on-bone erosion along with arthritis in his knee, Dr. Berkowitz confirmed that he was a good candidate for total knee replacement.
The next step was to attend a Total Joint Education Class, a one-hour session that detailed what to expect from pre-op to recovery. Alan then underwent surgery that replaced his knee with a prosthesis mimicking the joint’s anatomy and shape—and he was up and moving that same day.
“With joint replacement, our ultimate goal is pain relief and the return to a better quality of life,” explains Dr. Berkowitz. “Being mobile as soon as possible after surgery facilitates the recovery process, minimizes any potential complications, and helps reduce the hospital length of stay.”
Post-Surgery Progress
Aside from some initial postsurgical pain, Alan recalls sleeping the best he had in ten years the following few nights. After a three-night hospital stay that included inpatient physical therapy, he continued his progress at The Manor Health and Rehabilitation Center, located on the hospital campus.
Alan’s daily physical and occupational therapy sessions included balance training, functional training like walking up and down stairs, and practicing other activities of daily living. In one day, he graduated from a walker to a cane.
“Alan was motivated to get better quickly, so he did really well,” says Cynthia Mark, DPT, his physical therapist. “We used various strategies to improve his functional mobility so he could return home with maximum independence.”
During his stay, Alan also took advantage of nutrition counseling services.
“The nutritionist spent about an hour with my wife and me reviewing simple ways I could improve my health, which was really a bonus,” Alan says. “I lost 20 pounds after discharge just by following this advice.”
Alan spent four nights at The Manor and had subsequent outpatient physical therapy. He’s now back to enjoying his life—including spending summers at a family home in Lake George, New York, and helping care for his three-year-old grandson, Logan.
“Based on my experience, I’d recommend CentraState to anyone in a heartbeat,” Alan adds. “I’m just so happy that the pain is gone.”
To learn more about orthopedic surgery services at CentraState, call 866-CENTRA7.
