Whether it is charging the net on the tennis court to deliver a volley, or digging in the ground around her home to plant flowers, Deb Davis leads an active life. Pain tried to steal that from her.
“I was experiencing knee pain,” she stated. “It was affecting my lifestyle. I am a very avid tennis player and gardener. It was really inhibiting what I enjoyed doing. “
That was in 2018. At that time, Deb asked family and friends if they knew of a surgeon she should see. Someone suggested to her a Jacksonville, IL, based orthopedic surgeon named Darr Leutz, MD.
Deb did her own research on Dr. Leutz. Based on what she learned, Deb made the trek to Jacksonville to meet the doctor.
“I was impressed immediately,” she exclaimed.
In October 2018, Dr. Leutz replaced Deb’s right knee at the hospital in Jacksonville. The doctor gave Deb some good news with her new knee.
“When I went back for my six month check-up in May 2019, he shared with me that I would not have to travel to Jacksonville anymore because he was joining Blessing Health System,” she stated. “I was elated because I knew within a few months I would have to have my left knee replaced.”
Dr. Leutz replaced Deb’s left knee at Blessing Hospital in October 2019. As was the case after the first surgery, Deb was back on the tennis court six weeks after surgery.
“She is a go-getter. Quite an active lady,” Dr. Leutz stated. “When a person such as this has a sore knee, it is rain on their parade.”
Dr. Leutz calls Deb one of the “instrumental people” in shaping his decision to move his practice to Quincy and Blessing Health System.
“I have referred at least three other people to Dr. Leutz and they, too, were elated with the results,” said Deb, who is a long-time Blessing Health System volunteer. “One person came all the way from Colorado just to have surgery by Dr. Leutz. They had family in Quincy, so they recuperated with them after the surgery.”
Dr. Leutz says he uses technology during knee replacement surgery that delivers outcomes patients appreciate - a “rotating platform” implant.
“It allows the knee greater ability to flex, to extend further, and it improves range of motion,” he stated. “These factors contribute to a more natural feeling knee that lasts longer.’
Demand for joint replacement across the nation grows as people are living longer and want to stay active and pain-free. Dr. Leutz says the latest advances in surgical technique and pain control have radically changed the total joint replacement experience for some of those patients at Blessing.
“For our younger joint replacement patients, the procedure is outpatient,” Dr. Leutz said. “They go home the day of their surgery.”
“Our plan is to be better every day,” he concluded.