“I don’t like to sit down,” says Fosteen Brathwaite, 69, of Avenel, New Jersey. Before retiring nine years ago, she spent 26 years on her feet at a residential care facility for individuals with developmental disabilities. “I’m a hard worker, and I was always on my feet.”

It wasn’t until she stopped working that she began noticing pain in her knees. For seven years, the arthritis in her knees was managed with conservative treatments, like “gel” shots, also called visco supplementation, into her knee joint. But by last fall, the pain was so intense, she says, “I couldn’t deal with it anymore.” She says it flared up worse at night, so badly she wasn’t sleeping well.

X-rays of her knees revealed the cartilage in her knee joints was gone, and she needed knee replacement surgery. “When those X-rays came back, I was in tears,” says Fosteen. “I didn’t believe those images on the screen were my knees.”

Ready for Knee Replacements 

Knee replacement surgery is one of the most common orthopedic surgeries worldwide. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons estimates that more than 700,000 total knee replacements are performed annually in the United States.

There are three basic things you need to be a good candidate for knee replacement surgery, says William Baione, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon specializing in knee and hip replacement: 

1. you have severe arthritis visible on either X-ray or MRI; 
2. you’ve done conservative treatments that are no longer working for you; 
3. and pain affects your quality of life. 

“By the time Fosteen came to see me,” he says, “there wasn’t much else to do but surgery.”

“When Dr. Baione said I had to have surgery, I was scared because I didn’t know what the outcome would be,” Fosteen says, “but he made me feel so secure, and that safety is what I want with a doctor. You want to have confidence in the person who is going to touch your knee—or any part of your body.”

Preparing for Knee Surgery

Both of Fosteen’s knees needed replacement surgery, but Dr. Baione recommended each surgery be done separately.

“Some people are proponents of doing bilateral knee replacement,” he says, “but because the surgery is difficult to recover from, in terms of some of the initial pain as well as the necessary rehab, I think that most patients don’t do well doing both knees at the same time.”

“If you do one leg, you recover from that, and it literally gives you a good leg to stand on so that when you get to the second knee, you have a strong leg that you can rely on. You are also psychologically prepared because you’ve been through it and understand the process.”

Fosteen had surgery on her right knee in October 2023 and on her left knee in January 2024 at Old Bridge Medical Center. Her nurse, Joanna[SB1] , took her under her wing from day one, Fosteen says, and her son, Jeremy, took time off work to help her recover. “Knee surgery is not something you can take lightly,” Fosteen says. “You have to have the courage and the strength to push yourself. If you don’t push yourself, you do it for nothing.”

Following both surgeries, Fosteen received physical therapy at Old Bridge and at home. “My body is getting used to both knees now,” she says. I’m ready for my first dance and to feel free from pain. It is phenomenal.”

Next Steps & Resources

• Meet our source: William Baione, M.D.
• To make an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.

Learn more about orthopedics at Hackensack Meridian Health.