If You Need Knee Surgery, Don’t Waste Time, Get Your Life Back

I am saying something today that I never thought I would say: I am so happy I had my knee surgery.

Today, I am headed to Washington, D.C., and the first stop on my train trip was New York City. The last time I was in NYC was before my knee surgery, and walking through the city today made me realize just how much has changed.

As I walked the streets and climbed the seemingly endless stairs at the train station, something hit me: I wasn't thinking about my knee.

The last time I was in New York, I was limping badly. Stairs were especially difficult. I had to maneuver them by relying almost entirely on my right leg, taking them one step at a time. Getting around a city like New York wasn't just tiring—it was something I had to constantly think about and plan around.

Today was completely different.

I walked. I climbed stairs. I moved through the city without worrying about whether my knee could handle it. And it felt awesome.

Looking back, my knee was truly shot. It had most likely suffered an ACL tear when I was in college, and over the past several years, I had also been dealing with a severely torn meniscus. Eventually, the damage caught up with me.

My doctor told me I waited too long to have the surgery, and I know that I did. By the time I finally had it done, my knee had become extremely stiff. That stiffness made regaining my flexion incredibly difficult during the first few months after surgery. Recovery certainly wasn't easy, and there were times when progress seemed painfully slow.

But here I am, almost five months after surgery, walking around New York City and realizing that my knee feels...normal.

Maybe that's one of the greatest outcomes you can hope for after a surgery like this—not constantly noticing the joint that caused you so much trouble for so many years.

It's about getting back to everyday life. Walking without thinking about every step. Taking the stairs without wondering how you're going to manage them. Traveling without worrying about how much walking will be involved.

It's a return to normalcy.

And after everything it took to get here, I couldn't be happier about that.