About 38,000 knee replacements are performed each year in Canada, according to the Canadian Institute For Health Information, and studies show the number is projected to climb to around 250,000 per year over the next 20 years as baby boomers maintain their active lifestyles. The ultimate culprit causing knee pain is arthritis, mostly developed through a combination of aging, use and genetics.

Dianne Munro, a local Niagara Falls resident shares her story on how her choice of Pilates turned her life around and helped her move forward.

Several months ago, my surgeon told me I should have my right knee replaced before more damage occurred and the only option would be amputation. My leg had been injured many years before in a serious car accident. As time progressed, my knee deteriorated with age and injury. I made the decision to have the knee replaced but requested 3 months to get ready.

I immediately contacted Thanh Tran at PilatesCircle and engaged her services. Over the course of 3 months, we worked on strengthening the muscles around the knee, engaging my core and flexibility.

September came and the surgery was completed. Fearing pain and discomfort, I was pleasantly surprised with the low pain level. By the end of the first week, I was walking without a cane at home. I engaged in physiotherapy and the therapist commented daily on how well and quickly I was progressing.

Indeed, I could easily see it myself as I compared progress with others attending physio.   At one month post op, my progress was consistent with those who had their surgery 2 to 3 months earlier. My progress was rapid and fairly easy.

While I can not fully extend my leg due to 20 years of damage, the degree to which I am able to extend my leg was nothing short of remarkable. At the 2 month mark, physio discharged me as my progress was complete.

I immediately reengaged in Pilates.

I believe that my progress has been as swift as it was due to the preparation Pilates. I am a senior, who is slightly overweight and had not worked out for a while due to pain in the legs and knees. Pilates was a gentle exercise program which did not aggravate my knees but in fact prepared the muscles around the knee for the prosthesis. At just past two months post-op, I am able to walk over a mile, swim for an hour or more, ride a stationary bike for 60 minutes, all without pain.

My husband is thrilled that the old me is almost completely back to normal. In fact we are going to celebrate the third month mark by going to a dinner dance, where I intend to dance the night away.

Thanh’s knowledge and her Pilates methods have changed me from an almost crippled old woman to a health vibrant “youngster again”.

I feel ten years younger than I did two months ago. I thank PilatesCircle for this change in my life.

I sustained serious injuries: my L2 vertebrate was fractured, my left femur was broken in 3 places and my right collarbone broken. I was in ICU for three days, the trauma unit for a week and placed in a rehab hospital for another three weeks. During that time I was immobilized in a body cast unable to move myself, dress myself, feed myself or toilet myself. Little did I know those restrictions would last for months and only improve gradually over years. I remained in the body cast for three months. I was wheelchair bound for over 3 months. It took 8 months for me to learn how to walk again without the assistance of a medical device. It took even longer than that before I could drive or regain basic independence such as dressing myself without a medical device.

The pain of my injuries was intense. But equally difficult was the loss of independence and privacy. The whole recovery process was frustrating. It required that I change my basic paradigm of who I was. I was no longer the successful athlete or the successful goal driven executive. I was now a very weak and dependent person relying on the kindness of others to dig out of an inestimably difficult challenge. My prior life was in ruins. Everything had to be reconstructed from the bottom up including how I lived my life, how I earned a living and how I would regain my health and hopefully the fitness I had so treasured.

Four months after my release from the rehab hospital my home care stopped. I still needed physical therapy so my doctors suggested a center that was also a well-regarded sport rehab center. Sadly, my experience continued to be frustrating. It seemed to me that they didn't know how to deal with multi-trauma injuries. Fortunately, one of my dear friends was a physical therapist well versed in Pilates based rehab. She suggested that I try Pilates-based rehabilitation with a highly regarded local therapist, Bonnie Can*. That same week two other friends suggested the same approach with the same therapist. It seemed like the Universe was steering me clearly in that direction! I decide to give it a try.

My therapist, Bonnie Carr, was a remarkable woman with over 30 years of experience. After an initial evaluation she said it would take 12-18 months of hard work for me to regain basic functionality. She was not sure how much mobility I would recover but if I stuck to it she felt I could regain my ability to live independently. I took her words to heart and have worked diligently every day despite the pain, frustration and setbacks. Now, over 3 years later, the rewards of range of motion, lowered pain, and mobility are sweet gifts. Given the starting point where I could not even bend down to pick something up from the floor or put on a shoe I can credit Bonnie with unending patience and tremendous vision.

Bonnie retired in December 2008. At that time, I was strong enough to consider making the move to a Pilates studio versus a rehab center. I was fortunate in having Evolve Pilates in my community where the instructors were knowledgeable Renee Neuman, Kelli Sanders, Kim Christou and Pam Hess have spent thousands of hours with me over the past two years helping me break through scar tissues, regain range of motion, learn proper alignment and move forward in my life. I have seen incredible results. I can walk again, climb stairs, dress myself, drive, and live independently. I even bought a Reformer from Balanced Body for home use and I love it. Between the time I spend at Evolve and the time I am on my own Reformer I put an average of 12 hours a week into my ongoing recovery effort.

Last year I even got back on the bike with the help of a friend. It's very difficult for me to maintain a racing tuck due to all the hardware in my spine and hip. It's hard to say if I'll ever regain the level of athleticism I once treasured. Clearly, I have recovered the gift of good health which is more precious to me than any activity I can imagine.

People who know me, medical professionals and friends, tell me I am a medical miracle. I tell them they should be doing Pilates! I consider myself to an evangelist for the exercise; it has given me my quality of life back. To me it is a more than a type of exercise. It is a way of life and absolutely mandatory for effective wellness. I think I'm living proof that Pilates is unrivaled in its delivery of a framework for the body to heal itself.

Vicki Santello Gainesville, Florida