THE DOCTOR S OPINION Scott, why Cryo Lounge? A: My wife bought me a CL gift card right before the shutdown. By the time Louisville started opening back up again, I was miserable and desperate to find relief before my late August surgery. It’s hard to imagine, but the swelling and stiffness was almost completely gone by the 3rd visit. We couldn’t believe it! I went back every day from late May until surgery in late August. Dr. Brown, were you surprised when you saw the change in Scott’s knee at his pre-op appointment in August? A: Yes and No - I was familiar with Cryo Lounge as several of my patients were going daily before the shutdown so my interested was piqued. Scott’s experience certainly reignited that interest. Dr. Brown, how did the surgery go? And what is your post-op regimen?
Dr. Reid Brown
Orthopedic Surgery Specialist Knee & Hip Total Joint Replacement Baptist Health Louisville And Patient, Scott Schiavone Dr Brown, how many joint replacement surgeries do you perform each year? A: About 1000! Scott, what was the condition of your knee leading up to scheduling your total knee replacement? A: Aside from chronic pain, the swelling was constant – my knee was the size of a small cantaloupe, all of the time. Just walking was a challenge for me. I couldn’t have the surgery for about 3 months as operation scheduling was backed up because of the Covid shutdown.
A: It went very well. Less aggravated tissue makes for smoother surgery and healing. For post-op, I stress 2 things: 1) Ice. Ice. Ice. As long as there is a thin barrier between the ice and the skin, the greatest results are when patients ice for 4-6 hours with a prolonged icing device, day and night. 2) Attend all physical therapy sessions as prescribed – for about 8 weeks. Scott, how did early recovery go? A: I was back at Cryo Lounge less than 24 hours post-op if that tells you anything! The pain was really high at first – I would say an 8-9 out of 10. Within three days of going to Cryo Lounge first thing each morning, that pain dropped to about a 3 out of 10. After six days the swelling was almost gone, and the bruising was looking much better. I still iced, but only for about 15 minutes 3x a day. My home health nurse was completely shocked.
