Active Woman Lives Life Without Restrictions After New Preoperative Therapy
Conversation after conversation with her friends, Monique P. was told that her total knee replacement surgery would end in a long recovery. She dreaded the possibility of having to halt her active lifestyle.
That was until joint replacement specialist and board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michael Bohan of OrthoSC gave her the hope of less pain through a new and innovative treatment called iovera°.
Monique has always lived an active lifestyle, enjoying tennis, golf, and taking walks with her husband and dogs. After trying conservative treatments starting in 2008 and then for years on end, ease of pain eventually seemed out of sight.
In the early summer of 2021, Monique met with Dr. Bohan. He confirmed that her next best option would be a total knee replacement surgery. Through quick scheduling and a dedicated staff, Monique got her surgery date.
Despite her high pain tolerance, Monique worried about the pain associated with her postoperative recovery. In an effort to mitigate the potential postoperative pain, Dr. Bohan, who has been performing knee replacements for over 20 years, proposed the iovera° treatment.
Dr. Bohan explains that iovera° is performed by several specialty-trained doctors at OrthoSC and is used to “deaden or freeze the nerves around the knee to help with pain after the operation.” He adds, “Overall, I have been very impressed with the results.”
About a week prior to her scheduled joint replacement, Monique met with fellowship-trained sports medicine surgeon Dr. Christopher Feathers to undergo the treatment.
“It was a piece of cake,” she remembers. “The procedure was no worse than a mosquito bite.”
When it came time for the replacement surgery, Monique still mentally prepared herself for intense pain to follow. But the expected pain never came. The replacement surgery went smoothly, and as she lay there recovering, she didn’t feel that pain people told her about. She didn’t need to take anything stronger than Tylenol, and she was able to start physical therapy just a few days after her knee replacement.
“This [iovera° therapy] has been effective in reducing pain and reducing the amount of opioid pain medicines in the immediate postoperative period,” says Dr. Feathers. “There is also a benefit for the rehab after the surgery with better range of motion and pain tolerance for the rehab.”
“I can honestly say I had no pain throughout my healing process. I listened to my doctors and physician assistants and slowly upped my activity level. By week two, I was told to stop using a cane, and my physical therapist was amazed by my progress,” she says. “I am now walking five miles a day, over one hour on the elliptical, and I started playing tennis three times a week.”
Now, Monique lives her life without restrictions. She’s back to her active lifestyle of camping, bike riding, walking her dogs, Maggie Mae and Dixie, and enjoying all the things she did previously.
“I have been bragging about iovera° to everyone I see . . . it has been a miracle procedure that allowed me to be pain-free after surgery,” Monique says.
If chronic joint pain is keeping you or your loved from living life with no restrictions, consult one of our specialty-trained total joint care doctors about your treatment options. To speak with one of our experts in Conway, Murrells Inlet, Myrtle Beach – Carolina Forest, or Myrtle Beach – Market Common, call (843) 353-3460 or schedule an appointment online.
