08/06/2026
๐ฆ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐
๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ช๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฃ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ.
One of the questions I get asked all the time is, โDonโt you get bored doing hips and knees all day, every day?โ
My answer has always been the sameโฆ
Absolutely not.
A 67-year-old gentleman came into the office yesterday for his 5-year follow-up, and his X-rays reminded me exactly why.
Six years ago, I replaced his right knee with a medial pivot total knee replacement using kinematic alignment. A year later, I replaced his left knee, but this time it only required a fixed-bearing medial unicompartmental knee replacement, a design that I was fortunate enough to help develop.
Same patient. Same surgeon. Two different knees. Two completely different disease patterns. Two different operations. Today, both knees are doing remarkably well.
Looking at those X-rays reminded me that there is no such thing as a routine joint replacement.
Yes, I operate on hips and knees every day, but I never operate on the same person twice.
Every patient brings a different medical history, physiology, support system, lifestyle, personality, and set of expectations. Every patient requires a slightly different roadmap to successfully navigate the waters between deciding to have surgery and getting back to the life they love.
After performing more than 11,000 joint replacements over the past 16 years, Iโve become convinced that the operation is only one part of the equation. The journey surrounding the operation is every bit as important.
That belief has shaped my entire career. It led me to build Whole Health around a more comprehensive approach to musculoskeletal care, create an in-house Wellness Institute focused on medical optimization and lifestyle coaching, and ultimately launch ๐ง๐๐ ๐ข๐ฟ๐๐ต๐ผ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐โข earlier this year.
The goal was never to standardize people.
๐ง๐ต๐ฒ ๐ด๐ผ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฐ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐โ๐ ๐ฒ๐
๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ.
Today, every patient follows the same proven five-step roadmap, but no two journeys are exactly alike. Some need more medical optimization. Others need more coaching, education, encouragement, or reassurance. The destination never changes. The path often does.
People often ask me what Iโm most proud of in my career.
It isnโt the number of surgeries Iโve performed.
It isnโt beautiful X-rays.
It isnโt range of motion.
Itโs building an incredible team and creating a system that helps replace uncertainty with clarity, fear with confidence, and surgery with something much biggerโฆ hope.
On this Thankful Thursday, thatโs what Iโm most grateful for.
Not simply the privilege of replacing joints, but the opportunity to help thousands of people reclaim their lives.
The destination is consistent. The journey is personal.
