During a playful water gun battle with her teenage son, Gina Walker took a fall, fracturing a bone near her knee.
“My son encouraged me to get up, saying ‘C’mon, Mom, walk it off!’” Gina recalled. “But I couldn’t put any weight on it. I already had arthritis in my knee, so that didn’t help either. He eventually had to take the wheel and rush me to the hospital.”
The knee pain was excruciating and persisted as she encountered countless dead ends in her years-long search for relief. It started with cortisone shots in her knee, which, despite the initial promise, proved to be both painful and short-lived. “I accidentally kicked the doctor out of reflex when he gave me the shot,” Gina recounted. It was at that moment when her doctor delivered the verdict: a full knee replacement was necessary.
GETTING A KNEE REPLACEMENT
“I really didn’t want to go through with it,” she confessed. “But I figured it was better to do it now rather than wait until I’m much older. I have big plans for my retirement. I want to be active and enjoy life, not just sit around all day.” As a dedicated middle school special education teacher, Gina also was concerned about her time away from her students.
Gina’s journey led her to the Total Joint Replacement team at OrthoIndy and Dr. Patrick Millikan.
After her surgery, Gina made remarkable progress in just six weeks, astonishing everyone around her. She found herself walking with greater ease than ever before, effortlessly going up and down the stairs. “Knee replacement is a challenging surgery, but recovery can be predictable and rapid when patients receive the guidance and support they need,” Dr. Millikan explained. “Gina followed every instruction to the letter and earned a great result!”
During a family trip to Busch Gardens, Gina not only kept up with her loved ones, but even outpaced them. She attributed her swift recovery to her unwavering commitment to physical therapy. Gina emphasized, “You must stay dedicated to it. Otherwise, the healing process will be so much longer than it should be.”
A+ FOR ORTHOINDY
Gina can’t say enough about the transformative impact OrthoIndy has had on her quality of life, giving Dr. Millikan and the entire OrthoIndy team an unequivocal A+ for their role in her journey. We may be decorated as the #1 hospital in the state for Total Joint Replacement, but Gina’s grade means so much more to us.
“I am overjoyed by the positive changes that OrthoIndy has brought into my life, enabling me to do so many activities that were once out of reach,” she beamed. In her heartfelt advice to those contemplating knee replacement surgery, she advocates for prompt action. “Don’t wait. Start living and pursuing your passions. There’s no need to delay when OrthoIndy is here to make it happen.”
SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT
Call us at 317.802.2000 to schedule an appointment or click here to find the right specialist for you.
If your injury or condition is recent, our OrthoIndy Urgent Care locations are ready with immediate care. For rehabilitation and physical therapy, no referral is needed to see one of our physical therapists.
