Health & Fitness
Florida Woman Quickly Returns to Pickleball Following Knee Replacement
With the help of a renowned Chicago orthopedic surgeon, she was back on the court in three weeks.
Fort Myers, FL, June 5th, 2023 – Lisa Tamplin, a Fort Myers Beach resident, loves all physical activities. She is a scuba diver, and biker and especially enjoys her Pure Barre classes. But like most Floridians over 50, her new love is the game of pickleball.
After years of activity and pickleball games, Lisa began to suffer from knee pain caused by arthritis after years of overuse. After trying physical therapy and cortisone injections, she was told that knee replacement was her only option. Another pickle player directed her to Dr. Richard Berger, an internationally renowned joint replacement surgeon at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Medical Center in Chicago, known for his minimally invasive hip surgery.
“The pickleball net is lower and your opponent often hits the ball toward your feet, which requires a lot of bending,” says Dr. Berger. “Since pickleball is a sport for older adults, players like Lisa often struggle with arthritis.”
Research shows that 90 percent of pickleball injuries occur in players over 50 years old.
Regardless of a player’s age, they are in good hands with Dr. Berger, who has refined knee and hip replacement so that it is unnecessary to cut muscle, ligaments, or even tendons. He only makes a 3-4 inch incision—as opposed to traditional surgeries’ 12-inch incision for joint replacement. That’s why Dr. Berger’s patients experience a shorter procedure time, a faster recovery time, as well as less pain.
“Two weeks after surgery, I was hitting the ball against a wall. One week after that I was playing on the pickleball court. Every week after that, I began moving more and more and today my game is better than ever,” said Lisa.
Dr. Berger also stated that because of the directional changes and low net in pickleball, unusual strains can be put on hips and knees. Even if a patient is in post-op recovery and feeling ready to hit the court again, warm-up and post-play stretches are crucial for a healthy recovery.
Since 50 percent of his patients live outside of Chicago, Dr. Berger offers an unparalleled concierge telehealth program for hip and knee patients. With Berger’s Elective Surgical + Telemedicine (BEST) Experience, patients can do pre- and post-surgical consultations from their homes and only need to travel to Chicago for a meeting with Dr. Berger followed by surgery the next day.
For more information about Dr. Berger or to book an appointment, go to www.outpatienthipandknee.com or call 312-432-2557.
