15
877-CENTEGRA
/
GETHEALTHY.CENTEGRA.ORG
JOINT REPLACEMENT SURGERY
AT CENTEGRA
Keeping you
ahead
of pain
Y
ou might be surprised by what Marilyn Georgy, 59, is looking
forward to most about a planned trip to Disney World this
fall: being on her feet every day. That’s because Georgy expects to
be able to do so without wincing in pain.
That’s a realistic and remarkable expectation for Georgy, who
before a total knee replacement surgery at Centegra Hospital–
McHenry couldn’t manage a neighborhood walk with friends.
Arthritis had worn away the cartilage in her left knee. When more
conservative treatments no longer controlled her pain, independent
orthopedic surgeon Warren Jablonsky, MD, replaced her failing
knee with an artificial one that transformed her life.
“I no longer have to stop what I’m doing, sit down and ask one
of my grandchildren to bring me an ice pack because my knee
is throbbing,” says Georgy, a longtime Crystal Lake resident and
volunteer at the Crystal Lake Food Pantry. “I have a full life back.”
That means she and her
husband can take their
five grandchildren, three
children and two daughters-
in-law on a family vacation
to Disney World and Georgy
can walk the park and keep
up with her grandkids.
SURPRISINGLY FAST RECOVERY
Georgy is one of approximately 800 people per year who have total
joint replacement surgery at Centegra. Of the 18 board-certified
orthopedic surgeons affiliated with Centegra, 11 routinely perform
this surgery, fitting severely damaged knees, hips, shoulders and
even fingers with brand-new joints.
Georgy calls the care she received at Centegra exceptional. “If
anybody thinks the most reliable hospitals for this surgery are in
Chicago, they’re wrong,” she says.
Moreover, she believes Centegra’s location actually makes it
superior to other hospital systems. “It’s close to home and I believe
that’s why my recovery was surprisingly fast. My family could be at
my side and support me,” she says.
Dr. David Shinherr, a chiropractor and Centegra’s director of
orthopedics and neurology, offers another perspective about the
care patients can expect at Centegra: “We follow the same clinical
practices for joint replacement surgery as large, world-renowned
medical centers,” he says. “This is one reason our patients have
such consistently good outcomes and a low rate of complications
from the surgery.”
A JOINT STEP FORWARD
Importantly, the care patients receive starts before their actual
surgeries. Everyone who is about to receive a new joint at Centegra is
encouraged to attend a free 90-minute program, A Joint Step Forward,
preparing him or her for what’s ahead. “I took it, and I’m so glad I did,”
says Georgy. “I came away with a checklist of what to expect.”
Because rehabilitation after a joint replacement is as important
as the surgery itself, rehabilitation actually starts in the hospital and
continues until patients can manage on their own.
“The morning after my surgery, I took my first steps. Once I was
discharged, the hospital sent a physical therapist to my home so
I would keep making progress,” Georgy says. “Before, during and
after my hospitalization, I was in excellent hands.”
Do you know knees?
Take the
quiz at gethealthy.centegra.org.
Marilyn Georgy knows she will be able to keep up with her beloved grandkids for years to come, thanks
to a new knee and expert follow-up. This September, she plans to visit Disney World with her family.
Go to
centegra.org/ortho
or
call
877-CENTEGRA
to find
a physician to help with your
knee and joint pain.
