Patient Story
Beating Osteoarthritis of the Knee
One Patient's Road to Recovery
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video 
Keep in mind that your results may differ from those shown in this section. Your results will depend upon your personal circumstances. Please discuss your situation with your doctor if you are thinking about bone or joint surgery.
Life as a law enforcement officer is rigorous. Long hours, extended time on your feet and action only an emergency phone call away, marks the physical challenges of the job. For Dominick, a 58-year-old lieutenant with the Edison Police Department in New Jersey, every day, every step was a painful reminder.
Dominick is one of 21 million people in the United States who lives with the degenerative joint disease known as osteoarthritis. For those that suffer from osteoarthritis of the knee, living with pain is a part of their everyday life. Symptoms include severe discomfort, debilitating pain, stiffness and loss of mobility. As the disease progresses, it wears down the knee cartilage that acts like a cushion, resulting in the bones rubbing against each other. Simple things that most of us take for granted such as walking, bending, even sleeping comfortably become a daily struggle.
"For three years, my left knee was constantly aching – from the moment I woke up until the moment I fell asleep," said Dominick. "It even got to the point where I had to put a pillow between my knees at night to prevent them from touching."
Dominick has always excelled in his career and enjoyed an active life, from snow skiing to carpentry work. But as the disease progressed and Dominick's symptoms worsened, he was forced to give up these activities and faced an early retirement from the police force after 34 years of duty. In addition, Dominick was also having difficulty keeping up with his family, which includes his wife, Pamela, five children and six granddaughters. "I couldn't just sit back and let osteoarthritis take over and control my life," said Dominick.
While looking into treatment options, Dominick met with two different doctors who both suggested a total knee replacement. "A total replacement would have eased my pain, but it would have prevented me from returning to work and other activities. I wasn't ready to settle on a total knee replacement – I knew there had to be another treatment that was better suited to my condition."
A relative then referred him to a doctor. That doctor concluded that Dominick was an ideal candidate for the Minimally Invasive Solution (MIS) procedure and the M/G Unicompartmental Knee (Uni Knee).
Using the new MIS instrumentation, his doctor was able to remove only the diseased portion of Dominick's knee through a small 2- to 3-inch incision.
Dominick spent one night in the hospital after his surgery and was able to then return to the comfort of his own home. Over the next several weeks, he diligently attended physical therapy and performed daily exercises to get his knee back to its full range-of-motion. After only four weeks of recovery, Dominick was back to work, protecting the citizens of Edison and continuing with his active life.
"Since undergoing the MIS procedure and receiving the Uni Knee, my quality of life has greatly improved," said Dominick.
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