Surgery for Dislocated Kneecaps Helps Hiker Return to Mountaintops

As dental hygienist Mercy Padgett sat next to patients, she’d warn them the popping and grinding they heard was her knees bending.

Both of Mercy's knees were dislocated, and she turned to Benefis orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tysen Timmer for help. He did a patellofemoral replacement, rebuilding her kneecaps and repositioning her joints.

First, he had to ask how she was even walking, let alone hiking.

“He said no one had ever walked into his office with a dislocated knee, let alone two,” she said. “He couldn’t believe I wasn’t limping.”

Mercy has been working with Benefis physical therapists at the Peak Health and Wellness Center. She started during recovery from the first surgery in November and found it made recovering from the second surgery easier.

“I’m so tickled,” she said. “I’ve had good results all around.”

Dr. Timmer and Mercy's physical therapist, Nathan Gilmor, have a neat teamwork as they help her get back to form.

“You tell Dr. Timmer my physical therapy is going to be so good that it will make his surgery look good,” Nathan tells her.

“My surgery is so good he’s not going to have to work very hard at physical therapy,” Dr. Timmer rejoins.

“It’s been fun,” Mercy said.

Her knees hurt much worse after some of her longer hikes than they did after surgery. She’s already got a great range of flexibility.

“I’m up to three-, four-mile hikes this summer. I can do trails, if not up the mountains yet,” she said. “I even push-mowed my whole acre when my riding lawn mower died.”

Mercy, 59, looks forward to being back atop Windy Mountain in the Highwoods, her favorite hike.

“I’m more mobile than most people in their 30s and 40s,” she said. “My knees are going to be 100% better, and I will be able to hike into my 80s and 90s.”