Getting back on the road of life

From taking a short walk to bending over to tie a shoe, chronic joint pain and stiffness can be debilitating. That’s how Lemon Grove resident Kathy Campbell described her pain before having knee replacement surgery in 2020.

“I couldn’t walk on my right leg,” she says. “I tried using a walker and cane, but the pain persisted. I kept putting off further treatment.”

Now retired, Kathy previously worked as a customer information center representative at Sharp Coronado Hospital. She says her wake-up call came when she took a fall.

“After I fell, I thought ‘that’s it, I have to get the surgery,’” she says.

In October 2020, Kathy returned to Sharp Coronado — this time as a patient — for Mako® robotic-arm assisted knee surgery performed by board-certified orthopedic surgeon Dr. Jeremy McCandless with Sharp Community Medical Group. This innovative approach allowed Dr. McCandless to use 3D modeling to create a personalized surgical plan for Kathy, preserving more of her healthy bone and tissue, and letting her to get back to the activities she loves.

“Going into the surgery, I was kind of scared. But I had the best care team, from Dr. McCandless to my nurses and anesthesiologist,” she says.

Post-surgery, Kathy felt good and enjoyed the follow-up care she received from her nurses and physical therapists. Although it took her a while to practice going up and down stairs again, within 2 weeks, Kathy was more active.

“I started riding a bike 2 weeks after my surgery. After a month and a half, I was back to all my normal activities. I was swimming, biking, you name it!”

Kathy says she was very impressed by her recovery, adding that you can’t even tell she has a scar. Now that she’s able to be active and pain-free, she’s glad she decided to have knee replacement surgery.

“I had the best care at Sharp Coronado. If I had to do the surgery again, I would.”

Learn more about robotic arm-assisted surgery at Sharp HealthCare.