From Multiple Surgeries in Her 20s to Avoiding Knee Replacement Surgery in Her 50s

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It Started With a Scooter Accident

I have a friend who had a pretty bad scooter accident when she was 24 years old, which damaged her right knee significantly. Over the next few years, she went through multiple surgeries to repair the damage. Eventually, she healed and got back to living life. She got married and had 3 beautiful children.

She stayed active, worked out regularly, and honestly… she forgot about her knee for a long time, like decades.

 

Signs of Trouble in Her 40s

But then, a few years ago in her late 40s, little signs started to creep in. She noticed her knee would get stiff and sore if she went hiking or on a long walk with her daughter. Walking on an incline on a treadmill? That became uncomfortable too. She stopped doing deep squats during workouts because of the tension she could feel in her knee.

 

Enter: Pickleball

Then, when she was 49 years old, she decided she wanted to learn to play pickleball because everyone was learning to play and she figured it was a sport for older folks – how hard could it be?

Spoiler alert: pickleball is not an “old person’s sport.” It’s fast, intense, and has you moving in every direction. It’s a total body workout and her knee felt every bit of it. The more she played, the more her symptoms flared up. On the courts, she met lots of people who wore knee braces, had knee pain, surgeries, and even knee replacements.

 

Refusing to Let Knee Pain Win

Well, my friend decided that her knee pain was not going to make her life small. She didn’t want knee replacement surgery in the future. She wasn’t going to stop doing the things she enjoyed.

In fact, at the age of 50, she now enjoys walking with friends, working out with her adult children (including deep squats), begrudgingly does yardwork with her husband when he asks, and recently qualified for the Pickleball Nationals.

 

The Truth: This Story Is About Me

If you haven’t guessed it yet, this is not about my friend, this is my personal knee journey.

I’ve had multiple knee surgeries. I have an aching, sore knee. I worry about needing a knee replacement in the future. And I definitely don’t want to stop playing pickleball because of it.

The only part that’s a little altered is that I actually started playing pickleball because so many of my knee replacement patients were asking when they could get back on the court. I had to understand the physical demands for myself. Now I’m addicted, but that’s beside the point.

 

A Physical Therapist Who’s Been There

What makes my story a little different is that I’m a Board-Certified Physical Therapist with 26 years of experience—someone who deeply understands the human body, exercise principles, and evidence-based rehab techniques. I’ve helped thousands of people recover from knee injuries and surgeries.

I helped create GoKnee—a patented knee device and home program that speeds up recovery after knee replacement surgery.

But I realized most people don’t just want a faster recovery, they want to avoid surgery altogether. Just like I do.

 

That’s Why I Started KneeMail

I thought, “If I subscribe to travel emails and pickleball updates, why not create a newsletter about knee health?”

KneeMail is where I share what I’ve learned, both professionally and personally. The exercises I do. The things I avoid. The research I read. The products I trust. The people I listen to.

I want to give you tools, knowledge, and maybe even a little hope. Because I believe you deserve to know what I know.

 

Surgery Isn’t the Only Option

Too many people are told surgery is their only option. But surgery should be a last resort,not the first step.

That said, when the right person has the right surgery at the right time? The outcomes can be amazing. The key is being informed.

 

Let Me Be a Guide on Your Journey

I hope I can offer some wisdom, encouragement, and real tools to help you ask the right questions at the right time, so you can have the best knee journey possible, just like I plan to.

Thanks for listening to my story. I know knee pain can be brutal. Let me help, even just a little.

Talk soon,
Shehla