As head football coach for the 2005 Missouri State Championship football team at West Platte High School, Weston, Mo., keeping up with a group of active athletes is a never-ending challenge for 56-year-old Coach Danny Brown. So it came as no surprise when he began to experience severe knee pain. In fact, he suspected doctors would tell him knee replacement surgery was long overdue.
"I played sports in high school and college," Coach Brown, who resides in Weston, Mo. explains. "Originally, I injured my knee when I played football at William Jewell College." Through the years, he continued to put a great deal of stress on the joint, coaching high school sports, refereeing college athletics and even playing on a competitive softball team.
"I re-injured my knee in the early ‘90s when I collided with another player in a national softball tournament," Coach Brown says. "Doctors scoped it then, but it was never really the same after that. With all the sports I am involved in, it took a constant pounding."
His knee became so painful, that Coach Brown found it difficult to referee, coach or play at the level he wanted. "I was refereeing in Iowa last year when I knew I had to call it quits. It was really bothering me."
A referral from a friend led Coach Brown to George Robinson, M.D., a Providence Medical Center board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and medical director of the hospital’s Joint Center. "Dr. Robinson said my knee was in pretty bad shape. The cartilage was gone, and I had bone spurs that were adding to the pain."
Dr. Robinson recommended Coach Brown have the knee replaced at Providence’s Joint Center and he agreed. It was time to take action.
Coach Brown scheduled his surgery for Jan. 31, 2006. But before he had the operation, he went through the Joint Center’s unique pre-operative education, or pre-hab course. "I was very impressed with the information available in the pre-hab course," he adds. The staff told me exactly what to expect. There were no surprises with the surgery."
Another important feature of the Providence Joint Center is group therapy, where all of the joint replacement patients on the unit go through rehabilitation together. "I’m very competitive by nature, so I pushed myself in group therapy to get back on my feet as quickly as possible," Coach Brown says. "I was only in the hospital for three days."
At home, he continued his rehabilitation, exercising frequently to condition the new joint and prepare for the upcoming football season. "I’m no longer experiencing any pain," he says. "My knee is feeling good."
And with the beginning of school just around the corner, Coach Brown says he’s ready for the start of the football season. "I was totally pleased with my experience at the Providence Joint Center," he says. "They got me back on my feet quickly. I’m hoping West Platte will have another winning season."
The Providence Joint Center is a program that focuses on surgical block scheduling, group physical therapy, pre-operative education, dedicated staffing, community outreach, resource management, reduced length-of-stay and patient amenities. Its multi-disciplinary team is composed of a group of orthopaedic surgeons, an orthopaedic operations and clinical resource specialist, staff nurses, a physical therapist and case management.
For information regarding the Providence Joint Center, call 913-281-7777 or toll-free 800-281-7777.