Denise Flood’s excruciating knee pain shrank her world.

Grocery shopping? Too much walking. Going to a flea market with her daughters? Forget about it. Playing on the beach with her grandkids on vacation? Unthinkable.

“I was absolutely miserable,” the 62-year-old Waynesboro resident says, noting the pain was so bad she started not leaving her house much. “I told my husband that I can’t live like this anymore. I have to do something.”

What Denise did was have two knee replacements, just six weeks apart, at WellSpan Chambersburg Hospital, courtesy of orthopedic surgeon Dr. Brad Conner. It’s no understatement to say the surgeries completely changed her life.

“When I was discharged from physical therapy, I cried the whole way home,” she says. “My husband said, ‘What’s wrong?!’ I said, ‘Nothing. I am just so grateful that I have my life back.’”

Before surgery

Denise started having issues with her knees about six years ago, developing arthritis in both joints.

“The last two years were really bad,” she says.

Dr. Conner says arthritis is primarily caused by the breakdown of cartilage in the knee joint, often caused by age-related wear and tear. The pain can be severe, worsening with movement or after periods of inactivity. It can cause swelling and tenderness and result in the loss of a range of motion. Cortisone shots and gel injections – which Denise tried – may offer relief but it can be temporary for some patients, Dr. Conner says.

Dr. Brad Conner

Denise needed a more permanent solution. She was so eager to have surgery that she asked Dr. Conner to replace both of her knee joints at the same time. Instead, he suggested doing the surgeries six weeks apart, telling Denise she had to strictly follow her recovery plan and physical therapy to strengthen her legs so that she would be strong enough to have the surgeries performed that close together.

The surgeries

Denise had the first surgery on her right knee in October 2024. Afterward, she was in pain but had to use the stairs to get around her home. Her physical therapy team “told me to do it right away. They were very encouraging to do the exercises and move around. It’s a tough surgery but I was committed. I needed to do the second one.”

A month after the first surgery, she turned the corner and could feel the improvement in her mobility. That motivated her to keep going so Dr. Conner could operate on her left knee in December, doing robotic, or minimally invasive surgery, this time.

Again, the recovery was challenging. But little by little, Denise started to feel stronger and more mobile. At the end of January, she “graduated” from physical therapy.

Her new life

After she finished physical therapy, Denise says, “I began to feel like, wow, I can walk! I don’t walk like a duck anymore.”

An offhand comment from her husband made her realize how much her life had changed in both small and big ways.

“After the surgeries, my husband said, ‘Oh, you are back to wearing makeup,’” she says. “I had stopped doing my hair and makeup because I couldn’t stand on my feet. I didn’t realize that’s why I had stopped doing it. I just didn’t feel good, as a whole. I was in so much pain.”

Denise, who works from home, now walks a mile or two a day, during breaks or whenever she can. She thoroughly can enjoy her vacation home in Raystown Lake. She also has returned to doing activities with her family.

Dr. Conner said debilitating joint pain can be physically and emotionally challenging. That’s why he is committed to helping his patients.

“I want my patients to feel whole not only so they can return to their regular routine but also do the things they really love,” he says. “I am so happy when I see my patients regain their mobility and their spark for life. It really brings me joy, and it’s why I do what I do.”

“My entire life has changed,” Denise says. “Just being able to do things with my family and not be sidetracked by pain. I don’t have to think twice!”

For more information on our total joint replacement program, go here.