Six Years After Two Knee Replacements, Longmont Local Is Still Going Strong

In 2013, Chuck Cooper of Longmont had both of his knees replace by Dr. Brian Blackwood, fellowship-trained hip and knee replacement specialist at BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine.

Now six years later at age 71, Chuck says. "My knees are at 100%, and they continue to function perfectly. Every year since they were replaced, I’ve never had a bit of a problem with them." 

Chuck, an avid climber, had advanced arthritis in both knees, and chose to undergo replacement procedures quickly. Chuck notes, "After my second surgery, I was able to climb Mt. Evans, and I kept climbing, concluding last year at Mt. Elbert. Through it all, there was nothing in my knees that bothered me at all."

"Chuck had his knee replacement procedures completed about two months apart," says Dr. Blackwood. "About 14 weeks after his second surgery, he was able to climb a 14er, one of the 14,000-foot mountains around Colorado. He was subsequently able to continue and climbed about one a year, which is a pretty good feat."

Chuck isn’t alone in wanting to get back to being active as soon as possible, even with the need for two procedures. In fact, some patients choose to undergo their knee replacement procedures even sooner.

"If a patient is motivated enough, we can actually perform those in as few as six weeks apart," says Dr. Blackwood. "In general, having knee replacements done closely together allows patients to be done and recover a little faster so they can get on with life and limit their recovery time."

Mt. Elbert, Chuck says, may have been his last 14er. But Chuck’s knees are still going strong and his spirits remain high. He looks forward to continuing to climb in the future and encourages those looking into knee replacement to go see Dr. Blackwood.

"It’s nice to see that patients can enjoy life with their new joints," adds Dr. Blackwood. "It’s not just a flash in the pan—patients continue to use them and enjoy them over a long period of time."

For more information on the benefits of knee replacement procedures from BoulderCentre for Orthopedics & Spine, please call 303.449.2730 or schedule an appointment online.