Patient Story · Video
From cutting parts out of every class — back to teaching with "the knees of a 20 year old."
A lifelong group exercise instructor, Anne Marie watched her right knee pain steal parts of every class. Patellofemoral replacement with Dr. Sabrina Strickland gave her vitality back — she says it was the best healthcare decision she ever made.
Watch Anne Marie's story
Transcript
In Anne Marie's words
"It gave me back the vitality I felt I was losing as I was getting closer to 50."
I love to be active. I love to exercise. I love to work out. From the time I was 18, 19 years old I became a group exercise instructor — so I was an aerobics instructor. In my early 40s I started experiencing lots of knee pain in my right knee. She'd gone from being an exercise instructor to somebody who could no longer do a lot of exercise classes — or if she did, she had to leave out whole parts of the class because her knees hurt so much.
When I initially saw Dr. Strickland, she said that I was probably heading towards this patellofemoral replacement and that would really fix the problem. But what I really liked about her was that she left it up to me — and you'll know when you're ready for it. We tried some non-operative measures: we tried physical therapy, we tried some injections, and ultimately decided to go ahead with a partial knee replacement. The kind that she needed was just to replace the front of her knee — and that's called a patellofemoral replacement.
“The best decision I ever made in terms of a healthcare decision — because I just feel like it gave me my life back.” — Anne Marie
It was the best decision I ever made in terms of a healthcare decision, because I just feel like it gave me my life back. It gave me back my vitality that I felt like I was losing as I was getting closer to 50.
Now Anne Marie's doing amazingly well, meaning she's back teaching classes. She tells me she has the knees of a 20 year old. I think one of the things that I love about Dr. Strickland is not only her confidence but her energy level. She's the type of doctor who tackles a problem — she's confident, she's well educated, she's on top of her game whenever you see her. And I think that just makes you feel good as a patient that you're going to a doctor who's confident, who knows what they're looking at, who's able to give you the right kind of guidance and the right care.
About the procedure Anne Marie had
Patellofemoral Arthroplasty (Replacement) is a partial knee replacement that resurfaces only the back of the kneecap and the trochlear groove — leaving the medial and lateral compartments of the knee untouched. It is appropriate for patients with isolated end-stage patellofemoral arthritis, normal medial and lateral compartments, and stable ligaments. For these patients it preserves natural knee biomechanics in the rest of the joint and is a less invasive alternative to total knee replacement, with faster recovery and a more "natural" feeling knee. More on patellar pain & patellofemoral arthritis →
Anne Marie and Dr. Strickland worked through the conservative care ladder first — physical therapy and injections — before deciding the timing was right for replacement. That sequence is the standard pattern for joint-preservation candidates with patellofemoral arthritis.
Read more patient stories
Anne Marie's story is one of many. Hear from more of Dr. Strickland's patients in their own words about how they got back to the lives they love.
