Tim's Story

Tim Metcalf has always loved sailing, but a 1973 knee injury while playing touch football made it very difficult for him. “The surgeon told me I had a torn ACL and that they wouldn’t fix that injury unless I was a professional football player,” Metcalf recalls. Whether he was racing sailboats or transporting them all over the world, his favorite hobby became more and more of a struggle.

Decades of discomfort

Many years -- and unsuccessful operations -- later, the pain and lack of mobility was so severe that Metcalf had to crawl on his hands and knees to get from one end of a sailboat to the other. Finally, after 20 years of living with arthritis and discomfort, Metcalf attended a Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital joint replacement seminar and had a consultation with Jason Davis, M.D., a joint replacement surgeon at Henry Ford West Bloomfield. Metcalf was soon convinced that surgery was the best option.

Advancements in pain control

Dr. Davis has helped advance improvements in treating pain after knee surgery. Patients are encouraged to be up and walking just hours after the procedure. “This technique optimizes pain control early on,” says Dr. Davis, as quoted in HealthDay News. “It makes it a lot easier for patients to move around more confidently.”

Back on the water again

“I am thrilled with the results of the surgery,” Metcalf says. Afterward, he was guided through physical therapy and fully believes that it was essential to the healing process.

Six months after the surgery, Metcalf began sailing full time again. Now he’s running his own marine business without pain.

“The thing that I am happiest about is that my knee doesn’t hurt anymore,” he says. “Now I can walk on deck the way that I used to, and sailing has become much easier. Being at Henry Ford was a very special experience for me!”