Lien James may have started running marathons a bit later in life, but the 73-year-old doesn’t plan to slow down any time soon. She ran her first marathon at 50 in 2001, completing 136 marathons over the years, including several overseas.
In March 2022, while she was training in Utah for a half-marathon at Zion National Park, she felt her knee pop as she was walking up a flight of stairs. After the pop, she couldn’t bear weight on the knee or walk. Eager to find relief and resume her training, she made an appointment with Kevin Park, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon specializing in knee and hip replacement at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. MedStar Georgetown is part of the MedStar Orthopaedic Institute, with 47 orthopaedic surgery specialists at 20 locations throughout Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
“X-rays showed that Ms. James had severe arthritis in both knees,” says Dr. Park. “With both knees hurting, she was having trouble doing normal activities and running, which was very important to her. The first treatments I provided were cortisone injections in both knees and oral medications. I told her that if she was comfortable in a few weeks, she could run the Zion half-marathon.”
“The injections worked very well,” says Lien. “I was able to complete not one, but three more marathons.”
Unfortunately, after she completed the New York City Marathon in 2023, Lien’s knee pain became unbearable as her arthritis progressed. “My quality of life was so poor,” she remembers. “I could hardly walk up the steps and couldn’t carry anything, even a bag of groceries. It just wasn’t how I wanted to be living.”
She talked with Dr. Park about knee replacement surgery, explaining she wanted a new knee and a life without pain. He recommended a Mako SmartRobotics™ replacement, a minimally invasive approach that uses the latest technology to achieve the best possible outcomes.
“My experience with everyone at MedStar Georgetown was outstanding,” Lien says. “From the front desk to the nurses and doctors, everyone was efficient and made the process as easy as possible.”
Lien’s surgery was a resounding success. She came home the day after surgery and walked up and down the block with walking sticks, feeling great. Working with a physical therapist, she built up her strength and endurance, walking two or three times a day, and started running again a month after surgery.
Just nine weeks after the operation, she completed the downhill Mt. Charleston half-marathon in Nevada with her new knee. “I was so happy! I had absolutely no problems and no pain throughout the race,” she adds, noting that having a very active lifestyle before surgery helped her recover quickly.
Lien has resumed the active life that she loves. She runs three times a week, walks and swims every day, and can carry several bags of groceries at a time. She has several half-marathons scheduled for this year, in addition to local weekend 5K races. She is working up to her first post-surgery full marathon sometime soon.
“This has been a life-changing experience,” Lien says. “It was so easy and almost painless. If you need a knee replacement, don’t wait! I’m looking forward to having my other knee replaced when the time comes. I’m very grateful to everyone at MedStar Georgetown.”
Visit MedStarOrthopaedicInstitute.org for a complete listing of physicians and locations. For more information, or to make an appointment with one of our orthopaedic specialists, visit MedStarHealth.org/MGUHOrtho or call 202-444-8766.