Arlen Landrus – Orthopaedic Care

“If you’re willing to work hard to strengthen your muscles, recovering from a knee replacement will go smoothly,” says Arlen Landrus, age 76, of Aitkin. “I’m very happy with the orthopaedic care I received at Riverwood.”

Dr. Erik Severson, Minnesota Center for Orthopaedics (MCO), performed a right knee replacement for Arlen at Riverwood Healthcare Center on Aug. 1, 2016. Like many other patients who have benefited from MCO’s Rapid Recovery pain management program, he returned home the day after surgery.

“In the 1950s when I played high school football, I turned my right ankle a number of times, causing it to not line up well with my foot,” Arlen explains. “After a while, my right ankle soon looked a lot bigger than my left one.”

In recent years, Arlen injured his right knee with several outdoor activity incidents. First, on a hiking outing with friends, he ran down a rugged Arizona mountain trail dodging 5 to 6-inch rocks, hearing his knees pop during the run. Later, he was hit by a falling tree in the woods where his right leg got trapped.

To help manage his knee pain, Arlen received cortisone shots at the orthopaedic clinic in Aitkin for several years, but then they stopped working. When it got to the point that he was no longer able to drive 100 miles to the Twin Cities without severe knee pain when using the gas pedal, Dr. Severson told him it was time to proceed with joint replacement surgery.

Arlen adds: “After about six physical therapy sessions, I continued the exercises on my own. I did double the number of repetitions that they therapist advised me to do. I think the extra exercises helped me recover faster. My knee feels great now and I’ve regained 95 percent of my mobility.”

 

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