Jerry Hickey, Ph.s Knee Surgery Recovery Strategy

Photo by Marlon Lara on Unsplash

We are all very happy that Jerry is recovering and doing well from his recent knee surgery. In this blog, Jerry shares detailed information of his injury, surgery and post surgical recovery. I am sure this information will be of some help to many of you!

Jerry Hickey, R.Ph

Hi everyone! As you may know I recently had knee surgery. I tore my meniscus in several places and because the tissue was out of place it would never heal on its own. I was in pain and I couldn’t exercise or take a walk. Since discussing my situation on my radio programs, many people have contacted me by email sharing they too would soon have this surgery. I would like to share my experience to possibly help these and other people.

I also started physical therapy today in Westbury and am expecting to see excellent results. My range of motion, leg strength and lack of pain and swelling were all apparent.  After orthopedic surgery, if your doctor recommends PT make sure you comply because it can help you heal and regain your strength faster. Also you will learn important exercises and stretches for the affected region to help decrease the risk of future injuries.

First and foremost the surgery was easy, it took about thirty minutes and I was out of recovery walking to my car with the use of a cane within an additional half-hour. That was on Thursday at 11:00 am. Sunday at 11:00 I shed my bonds and made my way to my terrace taking it slow and easy.

By Monday morning I was walking with zero pain. By Tuesday I was completely mobile but limited my walking time to 10 to 15 minute periods between rests to prevent the inflammation and pain that often occurs with overuse soon after surgery. It would be okay to take these walks two or three times a day as long as I rest my leg in between them.

Here’s my plan for recovery, and of course part of the quick recovery and lack of pain may be due to strong leg muscles and the specific types of tear. Also I had a great knee surgeon; Doctor Jerry Lubliner from Beth Israel in Manhattan. Dr Lubliner is an expert on the shoulder and knee and previously in 2009 he did an excellent job of repairing my shoulder after an accident that severely tore my rotator cuff in several places.

 After surgery I rested in bed with my leg elevated for 72 hours; at that 72 hour point I started to move around a little bit with a cane. By staying elevated and restricting mobility for this period of time I avoided much of the swelling that causes pain and stiffness after surgery. However, I had a little help from my friends (supplements).

Here is what I took and I use some of these supplements even in patients facing major surgery. They help decrease the risk of complications and infections and speed up the rate of healing.

Three days before surgery:

L-Carnosine 500mg capsule – one a day

Zinc 30mg – one a day with food; Combining L-Carnosine with Zinc speeds up the rate of healing dramatically. My incisions were tiny so there is no risk of scarring but research does show that besides speeding healing combining Zinc with Carnosine may reduce scarring.

Nucleotides – 3 a day with breakfast; if I was in my twenties or thirties I wouldn’t need this supplement. Nucleotides give support for energy, immunity and healing

Shortly after surgery to avoid the swelling and further aid healing:

BioCurcumin/ 5-Loxin – two capsules 3 times a day with meals (I used this in place of NSAIDs such as Advil or Aleve); it has a very slight blood thinning effect so I don’t recommend it for everyone but for almost everyone

Aloe Vera (a special blend that lacks the aloe anthroquinones) – one 3 times a day with food, even a small snack; Aloe is great for inflammation

ALCAR with ALA – two tablets an hour before surgery; to support metabolism and energy and this improves healing

Ubiquinol Coq10 with NADH – one capsule twice a day with meals; support metabolism and healing

Magnesium Glycinate 200mg – one a day with lunch or dinner; support metabolism and healing

Collagen Hx Powder – a scoop twice a day in yogurt with fruits and nuts and real cocoa (this tastes like desert, is very low calorie and is filling); the meniscus is made out of collagen protein. I normally take this anyway and tomorrow I’ll write a mini review of why my wife Ruth and I both routinely use Collagen Powder.

Not everyone requires all of these, I just want to heal thoroughly and quickly, after all it’s kayaking and hiking season and in mid-July I’m going to Ireland with my family so I want to fully enjoy this trip. You typically add a week per decade to the length of recovery time; I’m 59 so that’s six weeks. I want to cut this time by 25% and I think I can do it.

If you have a question about supplements that are safe and helpful for surgery and a plan on how and when to take them contact me at [email protected]. The protocol varies via age group, current medications and type of surgery.

Share your post surgery experiences and let is know how you are doing today.

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