Custom Implants can Improve Healing for Knee-Replacement Patients, Especially Athletes

Описание: Victory comes in many forms. For Art Auwaerter, victory was being able to participate in an Olympic-style weightlifting competition after undergoing a double knee replacement 12 weeks earlier.

Mr. Auwaerter, 72, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, competitive weightlifters in Florida. The recent local contest in Miramar was the first time he was able to compete since being sidelined about 18 months earlier by significant knee pain due to osteoarthritis.

Total knee replacement surgery changed that, although Mr. Auwaerter’s quick recovery and comeback impressed even his doctor, orthopedic surgeon Carlos Alvarado, M.D., of Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute.

“The typical patient does not go back to Olympic weightlifting, so that was unusual,” Dr. Alvarado said.

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[Transcript]
[Baptist Health]

[Footage is shown of Arthur performing one of his weight lifting techniques]

[Arthur Auwaerter, 72 year old Olympic Weightlifter]
My passion started when I was about 14, 15 years old, and I was this skinny little runt of a kid. And I didn't want to be a skinny little runt of a kid. So I got into weight lifting.
[Footage of Arthur stretching with a weight bar]
And it takes a long time to build yourself up. But I did.
[Footage is shown of his knees]
My knees were getting so bad that I couldn't do things that I wanted to do anymore. I had a problem getting around the deck of a sailboat. I had to stop weight lifting. And at that point I said, "I really have to do something about this." So I decided to go to Miami Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute.
[Footage is shown of a doctor examining x-ray of Arthur's knees]
And my very first appointment, they evaluate you, and they said, "Boy, your knees are really, really bad. You have no option really other than the knee replacement."

[Carlos Alvarado, M.D. Orthopedic Surgeon]
Art's case was a little tough for a couple of reasons. The first was he's a very active guy at baseline, in spite of his really, really bad knees.
[Footage is shown of Arthur putting on two knee braces, then practicing with just the bar with light weights]
And it wasn't just one knee that was troubling him. He had bilateral disease. In addition, he's also a super strong fit guy as he's a Olympic weightlifter. So I knew that it had to be perfect because he told me himself that he wanted to get back to doing active things. So whenever that pressure's on, it just kind of adds a little bit extra. And the other thing is whenever I have a strong, healthy guy, usually the bone quality is just really difficult to work with because it's very dense.

[Footage is shown of Arthur lifting light weights just to get back into it, and not push himself]
[Arthur Auwaerter]
I'm glad I did it that way. I got it over with faster and I'm back into my weightlifting again, although I'm starting very slow and I'm not pushing myself hard and I'm not going to lift very much today. But I just love being part of it, so I'm back into it again.

[Dr. Alvarado]
The fact that he was able to return to Olympic weightlifting a couple months after this, that's a testament to him more than anything.

[Arthur Auwaerter]
Thank you very much for what you did for me. And there's nothing I can really say to express how happy I am really with him and his whole team. His whole team were great. They were all great.

[Baptist Health Logo]

[End Transcript]