Dancing Two Months After Knee Replacement?

An Interview with Maria Sidlosca

A story full of heart, dedication and making the most out of a tough recovery.

Maria explains in her knee replacement recovery journey.

I was born in Cuba, and moved to Miami at the age of five, where I grew up. I have lived here all my life. I studied psychology and political science in college and became a paralegal. I was always active and athletic as a kid. Although it wasn’t my major, I was on the modern dance team in college.  Because I live near the water, I have always enjoyed all forms of water activities such as swimming, boating, snorkeling, and kayaking. During my marriage, my ex and I also used to go skiing quite frequently. In addition, I enjoy running, dancing, biking, crossfit and boot camp.

A Meniscus Tear

About 15 years ago I tore the meniscus in my right knee and had arthroscopic knee surgery to clean it out. No one ever explained to me that this surgery would ultimately have repercussions as I got older and continued an active life style. After my pregnancy I gained a significant amount of weight, and then lost it. I started running 5k’s during and after my weight loss, and continued dancing which was always my passion. The first few years my knee was fine, but after a while it started swelling up and started causing me tremendous trouble. I seemed to always be in pain. I became a regular at the orthopedic doctor’s office. I did endless therapies, took cortisone shots every 6 months, iced the knee, stretched it, did yoga, you name it. But the knee kept getting worse and worse, and the cortisone shots were no longer helping. About three years ago I practically blew out my knee during a 5K run. I had several medical opinions telling me that I would ultimately need TKR surgery, but for the time being it was just “elective” surgery. I finally met my surgeon, Dr. Carlos Alvarado, who gave me a third and final opinion. He ordered an MRI, and when he read the results, he was shocked to see that not only was I bone on bone, but I had also torn my ACL and MCL. He advised that surgery was no longer an option or elective for me; it was mandatory.

Dr. Carlos Alvarado is my guardian angel. I found him through a mutual doctor friend who advised me to see him. It was the best medical advice I ever received. Dr. Alvarado is young, extremely knowledgeable, and well-schooled in the latest technology. He has great bedside manner, and in my opinion, is a brilliant surgeon. My surgery was state of the art and used a new technique. It went very well, and in fact, Dr. Alvarado kidded with me the next morning about how I broke the blade of his saw during the surgery. I was up and walking around just hours after my surgery.

What??... Manipulation Under Anesthesia?!!

While I was physically in need of the surgery, I was not mentally prepared for what I was about to endure. I really don’t know how anyone can be prepared for this life changing event if they’ve never personally experienced total knee replacement surgery. That said, everyone and every BODY heals and recovers differently. I went to 90º flexion painfully, and sweated every minute of every therapy session. My extension wasn’t much better, as I was between -11º to -8º. I was going to therapy 3x’s a week, every week for an hour. I took five weeks off from work, so I had to take advantage of the time off to recover as quickly as possible.