Getting Back to Life

For more than five years, leg pain had been a part of Anthony Parrucci’s daily life. Anthony, who was accustomed to participating in regular exercise and outdoor activities, was suffering from arthritis. He was reminded of his condition each time he attempted to walk up the steps of his home, and the pain in his leg seemed to worsen with each step.

In an effort to relieve the pain, Anthony underwent injections and worked with a Physical Therapist but found neither to be permanent solutions. He had heard of total knee replacement surgery and after consulting with his Cardiologist, he made the decision to have the procedure.

Dr. Zohair Alam, a board-certified Orthopedic Surgeon and fellowship-trained in joint replacement, performed Anthony’s surgery in late 2006 at Washington Adventist Hospital. The surgery took less than two hours to complete and when Anthony awoke from the surgery he was pleasantly surprised to discover that the arthritis pain, which had bothered him for years, was nearly unnoticeable.

During the recovery period at the hospital, Anthony immediately began walking on his leg and transitioned to inpatient rehabilitation at Adventist Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland, located on the fifth floor of Washington Adventist Hospital. One month after undergoing surgery, Anthony was able to walk the steps of his home with ease and return to his active lifestyle consisting of three days of water aerobics and two days of light aerobics and weight lifting.

“The entire experience from surgery to rehab was easy and the staff was excellent,” Anthony says. “I was surprised to find that there wasn’t any arthritis pain after surgery. I’ve already recommended the surgery to a number of people,” he adds.

To learn more about joint replacement surgery and to sign-up for our free Total Joint Replacement class please call 301-891-5746, or to find a physician who specializes in joint pain call 1-800-642-0101.