Recovering from a surgery rarely goes as expected. In aging bodies, the recovery process combining with general wear can result in a humbling experience, with more challenges than expected.
John Fountain, a retired anesthesiologist and former collegiate athlete, discovered just that after his partial knee replacement in August 2015. Fountain, a novelist and sports enthusiast residing in Big Sky, Montana, had expected to complete his surgery, physical therapy and be back out on the ski slopes in three months.
“Sometimes, the way to get something done is to throw your hat over the fence and go chase it,” Fountain says. “I decided after my surgery that I would complete a triple hondo: 100 days of skiing, 100 days of golfing (walking) and 100 days of fishing.”
After a successful surgery, Fountain completed a physical therapy program, was discharged and ready to get back to his usual active lifestyle. His surgeon warned him that knees were tricky, with people often experiencing persistent stiffness and pain. But Fountain was steadfast about completing a triple hondo. Though Fountain met recovery expectations, he still wasn’t satisfied and wanted to reach the next level.
“They told me after three months I would be solid. And I was solid, but I wasn’t where I wanted to be,” he explains. “And so it was a pretty dismal winter of me trying to ski and being pushed back, and going to the gym — trying to help myself with what I knew about sports medicine and athletics — and being pushed back again.”
Fountain told his daughter he felt out of options and unable to get better himself.
“She told me, ‘Dad, you are trying to help yourself too much. You need to ask for help.’ She asked if I was willing to come to Sioux Falls (South Dakota). And at this point, I knew I wasn’t going to make it without help,” he says.
Fountain met with a sports dietitian at the Sanford Sports Science Institute. He received a sports medicine evaluation, followed by a personalized exercise program.
“I thought what I needed was mostly strengthening my knee,” Fountain recalls. “However, through the assessment, they showed me the hip wasn’t in very good shape either — it had gotten stiff and weak, combined with general aging. They told me, ‘You can’t expect to move your knee effectively, if your hip can’t properly set up the movement ahead of time.’ That was eye opening.”
He returned home with a new diet and a number of new exercises specially tailored to account for his recovering knee and wrist arthritis. Through September and October of 2016, he completed the program and after was able to get on his skis and complete 121 days of skiing. Part one of the triple hondo was accomplished, but he still had golf and fishing to go.
In April 2017, Fountain returned to Sioux Falls for a golf assessment. He was found to have general wear affecting his strength of flexors, extensors and other pertinent areas related to walking and golf. A new exercise regimen, which he is currently using to finish his triple hondo, was developed to improve his health, mobility and golf game.
“Looking after elite athletes provides a pathway for sports medicine, but the most important part of these health care improvements is for the rest of the United States. It’s having access to and utilizing aggressive physical therapy programs,” Fountain explains.
Fountain adds, “Don’t give up; there is more out there. But you have to be smarter, and you have to try harder. It’s OK to expend effort. You will be rewarded.”
As of mid-2017, Fountain had accumulated 30 days of golf and 28 days of fishing and is on the way to completing his triple Hondo.
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Posted In Orthopedics, Rehabilitation & Therapy
