Franciscan Health Center for Hip & Knee Surgery Mooresville

For more than two decades, the Center has improved patients' lives through cutting-edge surgical techniques, nationally recognized research and dedication to providing care based on each person's physical, emotional and spiritual needs.

The Center's surgeons have:

• Performed more than 40,000 total joint replacements.
• Treated patients from all 92 Indiana counties, across the United States and the world.
• Published more than 400 peer reviewed journal articles and conducted numerous high-profile studies in the field of orthopedics.

You can trust the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery for highly personalized care, backed by the latest advancements in total joint technology. Our physicians are nationally recognized leaders in their field and our entire Center staff is dedicated to meeting the individual, specialized needs of our patients.

The Center for Hip & Knee Surgery has received a number of honors for quality and outstanding outcomes, including:

• Franciscan Health Mooresville ranked #1 Hospital in Indiana for Medical Excellence in Joint Replacement (CareChex® – an information service of Quantros Inc., 2018).
• Franciscan Health Mooresville ranked Top 10% in the Nation for Joint Replacement (CareChex® – an information service of Quantros Inc., 2018).
• Recognized as one of the “100 hospitals and health systems with great orthopedic programs” (Becker’s Healthcare, 2017).
• Aetna Institute of Quality® Orthopedic Care Facilities Award for Total Joint Replacement Surgery (2017).   See our news release. 
• A five-star rating in total knee and replacement for the past 11 years (Healthgrades, 2003-2015).
• Top 2% in the Nation for Joint Replacement Surgery (Healthgrades, 2015).
• Named America’s 100 Best Hospitals for Joint Replacement Surgery (Healthgrades, 2015).
• Annual host for John N. Insall Traveling Fellows - top knee surgeons who visit the top 10 knee replacement sites in the world to observe the latest knee replacement techniques.

You and your family can be assured of personalized attention to detail, including:

• Pre- and post- surgery education and a thorough pre-surgery history and physical exam
• IMPACT Center physicians closely manage surgical patients in cooperation with their surgeons, starting with pre-operative assessments and continuing throughout their hospital stay to address any non-surgical issues that may arise.
• Specially trained physical therapists and nurses provide inpatient and outpatient therapy, helping to motivate, strengthen and guide each patient to his or her best result.

Back In The Game: Matt Returns To More Active Lifestyle

To say that Matt Greer of St. Louis has led an active life would be an understatement. He was once a catcher and co-captain for his college baseball team, a Division One ranked baseball team. After college, he was an avid bow hunter and fisher and ran an average of three to four miles a day, among other active hobbies. It would have been difficult to tell that Matt had a degenerative hip condition that would eventually cause hip pain and discomfort while he was still in his prime. 

“I dealt with the pain for about five or six years before I decided to have my first hip replacement surgery,” Matt said. “I was only in my 40s, and I felt that was too young to need joint replacement surgery.” 

However, the pain became too severe and he decided that hip replacement surgery was his only option to get him back to the active lifestyle he wanted to live. In July 2012, Matt underwent his first joint replacement surgery on his left hip. The procedure took place in St. Louis, Missouri, his home state. 

“I remember when I woke up from the surgery, I felt nauseated and in a fair amount of pain,” Matt said. 

Even after he returned home, Matt experienced pain with his new joint. 

“I went back to the doctor, explaining that I was still in pain, even though I should have been feeling somewhat better,” Matt said. “Eventually, the doctor determined that my hip bone wasn’t growing on to the stem of my replacement correctly, and probably never would.” 

The type of implant Matt received is designed to allow the bone to grow into and around the prosthetic joint. Because that growth was not happening, the new joint would never be stable and, more important, would continue to cause pain. However, fate stepped in on Matt’s behalf. 

While having a home constructed in Missouri, Matt and his wife sold their previous home and moved into a villa close to the location of their new residence. On moving day, they had their belongings delivered to their temporary home, but when they arrived to unpack, they noticed their villa had caught fire. 

“Our villa was settled between two other homes and my wife and I immediately worried they would catch fire too,” Matt said. “So we each took a side and went to notify our neighbors of the situation.” 

Matt knocked on the door of the vacation home belonging to a Franciscan St. Francis Health – Mooresville employee. He and Matt got to know one another after the fire had been extinguished and peace was once again restored to their homes. 

“He noticed that I had a limp when I walked and just started to ask me about it,” Matt said. “I explained about my first hip replacement surgery and all that I had to suffer through, and he gave me information regarding the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery (CHKS) in Mooresville.” 

After considering his neighbor’s suggestion and discussing it with his wife, Matt decided he would travel to Indiana and consult with one of the orthopedic surgeons at CHKS regarding his options. It only took one meeting with Jeff Pierson, MD, for Matt to feel it was time to take action and correct the mistakes from his first surgery. 

“I was so much more at ease with my decision to have a revision surgery after working with Dr. Pierson and his staff,” Matt said. “Their confidence in what they could do for me made me confident that everything would go well.” 

Along with Dr. Pierson’s assuring demeanor, Matt felt that the communication from and with Dr. Pierson and his staff was outstanding. 

“Throughout the whole process, communication was seamless,” Matt said. “Even from my home in St. Louis, I felt more confident in Dr. Pierson and his staff than I had with my original surgeon — and his office was just down the road.”

In February 2015, Matt underwent his revision surgery. Dr. Pierson exceeded his expectations. 

“The recovery process from the second surgery was much better,” Matt said. “I was not nauseated at all when I awoke, and Dr. Pierson and his staff managed my pain very well.” 

Matt was able to head home and continue his recovery process in a very short amount of time, and even after he was settled in at home, Dr. Pierson continued to work with him and ensure Matt was healing correctly. 

“There is no comparison; I was doing stuff just five weeks after my second surgery that I couldn’t do after my first surgery,” Matt said. “I’m just so happy to know what it can feel like to be pain-free again.” 

Matt has been able to get back to the active lifestyle he missed for so many years: fishing, hand-washing his cars and coaching youth baseball in the summer, as well as hunting season in the fall. He knows that running may never be an approved activity with his new hip, but he foresees himself becoming as active as he possibly can. 

“I know, sooner or later, I will need my right hip replaced too,” Matt said. “I can tell you right now that I will be traveling back to Dr. Pierson again when that time comes.” 

Matt was so impressed with Dr. Pierson and his staff, he has recommended that a few of his in-laws who have joint concerns make appointments and meet with him as well. 

“My whole experience with the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery and Dr. Pierson has been outstanding,” Matt said. “I have the opportunity to now live my life how I want, not how the pain would only allow.”

From Pain To Gain: Knee Replacement Patient Regains His Active Lifestyle

Tom Rekart has a passion for being outdoors and a high tolerance for pain. So when taking a walk during a London vacation in 2014 put him out of commission for two days, icing his right knee, he knew it was time to seriously consider joint replacement surgery. 

Basketball and ski injuries that had occurred more than 20 years prior, accompanied by a lifetime of being active, had damaged the knee. The cartilage that was meant to protect the bones of the joint from grinding against one another had worn away, making movement painful. 

For five years, the pain was significant. A couple of cortisone injections early in his treatment had provided only limited relief, wearing off within 24 hours. When, at age 59, the pain started to interfere with his ability to get outside during his free time, enough was enough.

“My wife and I loved to play pickleball, a doubles sport. We couldn’t play anymore,” says Tom. “I couldn’t water ski. I couldn’t ride my bike. I couldn’t hike… it was time to do it.”

Tom’s sister had had two successful partial knee replacements at the Center for Hip & Knee Surgery (CHKS) at Franciscan Health, so despite the distance from his home in Huron, Ohio, Tom called on her orthopedic surgeon, Jeff Pierson, MD, to help him return to a pain-free lifestyle.

He admits to being mildly nervous about surgery — “You’re always apprehensive if you imagine someone’s going to cut your leg off,” he says — but he credits the CHKS pre-surgery preparation process for putting his mind at ease.

“The pre-work Dr. Pierson and his staff did was excellent,” says Tom. Dr. Pierson did a thorough pre-surgical exam and explained why Tom’s damaged joint was never going to get better without surgery. He shared Tom’s difficult surgical-recovery history with the anesthesiologist who would be involved in his care. A physical therapist explained what recovery and rehabilitation would involve, why it was so important to the overall success of the joint and how he could monitor his progress during the weeks following surgery.

Tom knew the reality of the hard work that lay ahead of him before he underwent surgery.

“They didn’t sugar-coat anything,” says Tom. “I had every confidence in the world that Dr. Pierson was going to do his job. The bigger part was on me: Was I going to do my part?”

On the road to moving again

Tom had total knee replacement surgery on his right knee in November 2014. He awakened from surgery “feeling like a million bucks,” despite having a history of being sick for extended periods of time after undergoing general anesthesia in the past. 

“As soon as I woke up and knew I was with it, we were up and walking,” says Tom. “Dr. Pierson does a great job managing the pain, and right after surgery, it was not that painful to get up. So I got up.” Doing so immediately, he said, helped him to trust the mechanics of his new joint, being confident that it wasn’t going to give out or fail. 

He stayed one night at the hospital and returned for four physical therapy appointments afterward. He was back to work within a week (mostly working by phone), returned home to Ohio after two weeks and was riding his bike (“very slowly and carefully”) within three weeks of surgery. 

“Surgery was not going to slow me down,” he says. “My experience was consistent with what I expected, but after surgery was better than I expected. It was awesome.”

If you’re considering surgery, “get it.”

Tom describes Dr. Pierson as a “rock star,” with an incredible staff. “They’re a well-oiled machine,” he says, one that gets results.  

“If you want a great outcome, Dr. Pierson will give you a great knee and a great surgery,” says Tom, whose new right knee is “99.9 percent as good as” his healthy and undamaged left. 

He recognizes, though, that there is more to a successful surgery than a successful surgeon. “If you do what you can do, including managing your weight and your health, and you really, really work hard at it, then you’ll be really successful.”

For Tom, “success” is marked by his ability to fully participate in his family’s activities again. He can walk and play pickleball with his wife, Vickie; hike 15 or 20 miles; bike 20 miles and chase after his grandkids without having to worry about his knee. 

As an added bonus, he’s lost 20 pounds, weight he didn’t realize he had been putting on over the years as a result of not being able to stay active. “I feel like I’m 30 again,” he says.

Day 1: Joint Surgery

Following your surgery, your nurse will perform an overall assessment and serve as your primary contact person and caregiver throughout your stay. 

A physician from the IMPACT Center will check your medical status and address any questions you or your family may have.

Some patients will be asked to walk, with assistance. It’s important to rest, drink plenty of liquids to stay hydrated, and recover from the anesthesia so that you are ready for physical therapy on Day 2.

Our team will work with you to manage pain, order meals, and whatever else is necessary to make your stay as comfortable as possible.

Day 2: Postoperative Day 1

You’ll begin to use your new joint to help you walk and stand. In the morning, one of our physical therapists will visit to help you through exercises, with the goal of having you walk across the room and back to your bed. They will return in the afternoon to repeat the process.

Your nurse will distribute your medications and tend to your needs throughout the day. Your surgeon will check in with you and answer any questions you might have. Your nurse will continue to assist you with pain management, ordering meals and other requests you may have.

One of the IMPACT Center doctors will evaluate your general medical status to ensure that your body’s systems are functioning properly.

A case manager or social worker will meet with you to discuss and develop a discharge plan tailored to your personal needs. Any needs for rehabilitation centers or extended care facilities also will be addressed at this time.

Day 3: Road to Recovery

On Day 3, depending on your progress, you may be discharged from the Orthopedics Unit to continue recovering at home or another facility. Your surgeon and one of the IMPACT Center doctors will evaluate your progress and medical status.

While your surgeon will make the final decision regarding your discharge from the unit, several milestones will help determine when you are ready:

• You must be medically stable.
• You must be able to get in and out of bed, either on your own or with some light assistance.
• You must be able to walk independently with your walker or crutches.
• You must be able to go up and down three steps with your walker or crutches (though you may require some assistance from one person).

You’ll learn additional exercises to improve your recovery and continued use of your new joints. You also will receive discharge instructions, including restrictions that are crucial to the healing process.

If you are not discharged, a physical therapist will visit you twice today.