Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
LETTER TO THE EDITOR from Frank Rickus
You can ski with bilateral knee replacement in your sixties. Eight months after surgery I was back skiing in November and then teaching skiing at Stratton two months later.
I am a pharmacist and was working at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center when I had my surgery in 2017, where I had counselled many patients after surgery regarding pain and rehab. I convinced my surgeon to replace both knees in one surgery. It all comes down to motivation, pain tolerance. and rehab.
Simply, I did not want to miss a ski season and worked diligently at rehab through those eight months between seasons and bought new boots and skis that were easy to flex and turn. That worked out okay, but I was still wobbly with those first turns. But steadily I built up confidence and strength and – low and behold – I could ski the whole mountain and get back to my car afterward.
Prior to surgery my knees were bone on bone, I was bow legged and could just barely manage walking. Skiing was not a problem. No pain, movement was good, but soon after surgery I realized how out of position I had been, and now with proper alignment skiing is even easier. Today after seven years there is no degeneration of the knee parts, I’m stronger than ever, have been through a couple of ski accidents and falling off my ladder.
I am looking forward to skiing and teaching for about 50 days this season. I hike, bike, lift weights, and maintain my weight to keep those knees ready for ski season. If you are ever at Stratton look me up and let’s go bang some bumps together.
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