Patient of the Month: Marcella Pinne

Our Patient of the Month for November is Marcella Pinne!

Marcella is a 37-year-old mom and was a gymnast earlier in life. The stress of the sport contributed to developing stage 4 arthritis in her knee. She also suffered from a vitamin D deficiency, which made her bones fragile and easier to break. Last June she suffered a tibial plateau fracture when a large dog jumped on her and she came to Genesis. Her knee was braced, and she spent 7 weeks in a wheelchair while she recovered. 

While the prospect of surgery to repair the fracture or a knee replacement scared her, what terrified her was the possibility of never being able to walk again unless she relieved some stress on her joints by losing weight, so she followed PA Sincer Jacobs’ advice and took his words to heart. “Mr. Jacobs is very down to earth, he doesn’t beat around the bush, and I like his perspective on things.” 

 While her fracture healed, Marcella started taking supplements and did a lifestyle overhaul. The brace came off, she has lost 40 lb., and feels the difference on her body and her legs. By combining strengthening exercises with housework, she has been able to greatly improve her mobility and may not need surgery anymore. Her first achievement was walking around a large neighborhood block and now can go up the stairs unassisted for the first time in 15 years!

“I want to keep going because I have more improvement to go. I have more weight to lose and my knee is much better but the lighter I am, the stronger I am, the more physical ability I am going to have. I am going to keep going to achieve the personal goals I have set for myself.

For more information on knee pain treatment, you can check out the top 5 stretches to relieve knee pain.