Sharrona Williams, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon, had knee problems since her college basketball days. But over the last five years, it began to interfere with her life.

“I noticed myself compensating and standing on my other leg,” says Dr. Williams.  “And I started getting foot pain from standing on my leg so much. As a surgeon, you really don’t want to take off of work(to have surgery). You want to be there so you can continue taking care of your patients.”

But as the pain increased, Dr. Williams decided to consult with her colleagues.

“I put my films up in front of my partners,” says Dr. Williams. “And I said, ‘What would you do?’ And all of them said, “A knee replacement.” They couldn’t believe how terrible my knee looked inside.”

The race of a lifetime

And though she considered the surgery, Dr. Williams wasn’t completely sold. She didn’t want to miss a once in a lifetime opportunity to complete a bike race across America. 

“Before I even set up the surgery, I talked to Dr. Jarrett and I talked to my bike coach, and I asked them, ‘Can I do it? Is it possible to recover in this amount of time?’ And all of them said yes.’”

Four and a half months after her knee replacement surgery, Dr. Williams was able to complete her race.

“I think having a deadline really put things in perspective and made me hunker down and train,” says Dr. Williams.  “I think that was helpful for me to have a goal. When I reflect back, I didn’t realize how much pain I was in on a daily basis. The knee replacement was by far more than worth it. I’d do it again.”

For more information on Piedmont’s orthopedic services, click here. 

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