Benton Woman Finds Relief from Knee Pain
| May 20, 2016 | Peggy Kinkaid, 65, of Benton, was willing to give surgery one more chance.
The retired Benton Junior High secretary was in constant pain after she had knee replacement surgery on her right leg in 2013. That’s not the way she felt after her left knee was replaced in 2008.
“I knew something was wrong,” said Kinkaid.
Seven months after the initial operation, Kinkaid underwent another replacement surgery on the same knee to no avail. Ten months later, she had a third procedure to remove large amounts of scar tissue. However, the pain and discomfort remained.
“I could still go to the store, but getting in and out of the car was difficult, and any type of stairs were terrible,” she said. “I wasn’t down and out, I could walk. But I had to drag my right leg.”
Kinkaid didn’t want to take prescription pain medication, so she turned to Tylenol every once in a while when the discomfort became especially unbearable.
“I am no baby, but it was bad,” she said.
Encouraged by her husband, Greg, to find another doctor to address her knee, Kinkaid decided to try one more time.
Her search led her to UAMS and C. Lowry Barnes, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Orthopaedics in the UAMS College of Medicine.
She had heard he was one of the region’s foremost joint experts, and was hopeful he could provide relief. While in an exam room at her appointment, Kinkaid’s husband was able to gain that same optimism through an act of compassion by Barnes.
“There were several patients in the clinic that day, and things had begun to stack up in the waiting room,” said Kinkaid,” but Dr. Barnes came out, made sure everyone was doing OK and assured everyone they would be seen. That impressed my husband. It wasn’t a nurse or a receptionist, it was him. Things like that mean a lot.”
Kinkaid’s feelings of assurance only grew once she spoke personally with Barnes about her condition.
“The minute I talked to Dr. Barnes, I had this confidence that my knee was going to be fixed and he was going to do it,” said Kinkaid.
Everything about her surgery in October at UAMS — from the room’s cleanliness and amenities to the courteous, professional care of the nurses — was exceptional, said Kinkaid.
“It’s some of the best care I’ve ever had,” she said. “I have been other places, but everything seemed to go better at UAMS.”
The day after surgery she returned home with no pain in her right knee and has continued to improve.
“Peggy came to us with a greatly diminished range of motion,” said Barnes. “But after her surgery in October, coupled with continuing therapy, she’s seen tremendous progress.”
Most importantly for Kinkaid, after two and a half years, she could resume her daily activities with ease.
“It has been wonderful getting back to doing things with my children and grandchildren, like playing ball or going for a hike,” she said. “Those were things I couldn’t do, and it’s been good to get to a point where I can and know there is more improvement coming.”