At 61, Joe wasn’t ready to slow down — but his knees had other plans.

A West Point graduate and former Army officer living in Orlando, Joe had always lived an active life. But years of wear and tear led to bone-on-bone arthritis in both knees. He says he was walking like someone 25 years older. Running was out of the question. Exercise became nearly impossible. Even worse, frequent travel for his job with a large international conglomerate meant awkward moments — taking elevators in airports and restaurants when stairs just weren’t manageable.

Joe tried to avoid surgery. He committed to physical therapy and even had a cortisone injection, hoping for relief. Unfortunately, neither made a meaningful difference.

When he realized he could no longer run or truly stay active, he made the decision to move forward with bilateral unicompartmental knee arthroplasties — partial knee replacements on both knees at the same time in September 2022. He chose to do both simultaneously because he didn’t want to go through surgery and recovery twice.

While having both knees done at once isn’t typical, Joe was determined. He used crutches for just a few days after surgery, then steadily progressed through recovery.

Today, his life looks completely different.

He’s back to doing full weight squats, riding a bike, going to the gym regularly, and playing pickleball — something he couldn’t have even considered before surgery. More importantly, he says he finally feels optimistic about the road ahead.

“For the first time in a long time, I have a positive view of the runway of my life — without pain — doing activities with my wife and grandkids.”

Joe credits much of his confidence in the process to Dr. Vickaryous’ communication and approach.

“Dr. Vickaryous is a very good communicator and reassured me every step of the way. As an engineer, I understand how important details are. He offered me all the information in layman’s terms, which I found very comforting. He is just a great guy and I recommend him to anyone considering a knee procedure. Super competent with great results.”

For Joe, knee surgery wasn’t about slowing down. It was about getting his life back — and moving forward stronger than ever.