Craig Williamson

I have been dealing with knee pain for the last 14 years. Yes, I am in my mid-40's and lead a very active lifestyle. I have 2 young children, love to bike ride, spin, weight train and go on vacation. However, over the years, the bone on bone has affected my quality of life. From simple tasks of going down the stairs to long walks, the pain in my knee was unbearable. I could no longer perform at the standards I am accustomed to. Finally, I gave in and saw Dr. Steven Haas about a right knee replacement. I had thoughts in my mind about what a knee replacement was and what was to follow after surgery. However, when I was introduced to the minimally invasive surgery that Dr. Haas would perform, I decided to stop the years of procrastinating and move forward with the surgery. I was also told that I have the opportunity to go home the same day of surgery. The one main thing was that I needed to walk the floor of the hospital on crutches a few hours after knee replacement. I thought they were crazy when they told me this. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I had my surgery on March 20th and a few hours later I did walk around the floor on the crutches, go up the stairs with supervision (and down them) and was discharged that day. I couldn't be happier with that decision. I was in my own home that night for recovery and 2 days later, I was doing PT in my house. 2 days after that, I was doing outside PT. 3 weeks after surgery, my knee was already approached 120 degrees. I lost the crutches weeks ago, and my strength is getting better and better each day. I couldn't be happier with my decision. Being aggressive is the best therapy to getting better. Don't be scared. If the doctor and PT person says you can do it, you won't injure yourself. Go for it! Ice and elevation are major keys to success. My surgery was March 20th and as I write this today, April 15th, I am walking for 20-30 minutes at a time and getting around much better than expected. Here is a pic with Doctor Haas and I a few hours after surgery. HSS is an amazing hospital and the staff is fantastic.