Julie Bubser

Julie walks two to three miles a day. It keeps her in pretty good shape. Then on one walk she turned quick – and fell to the ground. “It felt like there was nothing there, and then this tremendous pain in my knee,” she says.

Her primary doctor, Katherine Helgen, MD ordered an x-ray – it didn’t show any clear bone or joint damage. Dr. Helgen referred Julie to Orthopedics for an MRI and consultation with surgeon Hans Bengtson, MD.

Turns out it was a root tear of Julie’s meniscus, a pad of cartilage in the knee that acts as a shock absorber. The root is a specialized part of the meniscus that anchors it in place for optimal shock-absorption, especially during turns and pivots. The root of Julie’s meniscus had torn away from the bone. 

Treatment of the injury depends, in part, on age. Patients under 40 often have outpatient surgery to reattach the meniscus to the bone. Patients over 65 typically don’t, relying instead on physical therapy and modifying their activities. Julie falls in between; it was her decision whether or not to have surgery. “Dr. Bengtson was very thorough explaining that if I didn’t have the surgery, I’d still be able to be active, I’d just have to be cautious,” Julie recalls. 

“At my age, I’m not afraid to ask questions. I asked Dr. Bengtson to just lay it out,” she says. “I knew I’d make the decision myself. The communication was just so easy, and that was important to me.” 

Julie thought about it for a few weeks. “I really want to continue to enjoy life as long as I can, so I decided to have the surgery.”

Julie was impressed with the surgical team from beginning to end. Her pre-operative nurse “was the most amazing person – very calming and communicative. She explained each procedure that would take place before going into the OR,” Julie says. “She treated me with dignity.”

Then came the anesthesiologist. “I told him I’ve had problems with anesthesia and get very sick. He said, ‘We can give you a spinal. Have you ever had one?’ and I said, ‘It sounds delightful,’” Julie laughs. “He took the time to discuss this option that would work better for me.” 

The OR staff were all upbeat and friendly, “and once again, very communicative,” Julie says. “I could hear a little music. They gave me the spinal, and I don’t remember anything until I woke up.”

She woke up to disappointing news: Dr. Bengtson wasn’t able to reattach the meniscus. 

“Between the damage from the tear, plus some moderate arthritis – which was worse than we realized – Dr. Bengtson couldn’t repair it,” Julie says. 

“Everyone was really great about it,” she adds. “They said it’s not uncommon. And that I can continue to be active.”

When a meniscus can’t be repaired, it’s important to strengthen the muscles around the knee to improve stability and compensate for the meniscus loss.

Two days after surgery, Julie began physical therapy with Katie Verschaetse, DPT. “It helped me focus on activities I can continue to do,” Julie says. “Katie was very encouraging and supportive.”

After six weeks of therapy, Julie continued the movements Katie taught her, working out four times a week. “I feel stronger now than I have in a long time, because I have the knowledge Katie gave me: how to strengthen specific muscles and tendons to keep my knee stable,” Julie says. “I actually feel like I can do almost everything that I could do before. Well, maybe not the splits. But I don’t feel limited.”

Julie’s back to walking two to three miles a day. 

“Throughout my whole experience, I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” she says. “When you need surgery, it’s so great to just be in Northfield and not have to travel. People sometimes don’t appreciate the level of care we have here. It feels like the hospital team wants to take care of this community. They want to offer the best.”

Julie’s advice for others facing a medical decision: “Ask your questions. Don’t expect to be told what to do. Your doctor can lay out your options and the pros and cons for each – and then you make your own decision.”

Whichever path you choose, you can take the turns with confidence.