Just 9.5 months post op from a Total Knee Replacement performed by Total Joint specialist, Dr. Andrew Noble, 70 year old Bob Root, went against the odds and conquered the 17-mile Half Dome hike in Yosemite National Park for his milestone birthday. “My wife Donna and I made that hike on my 64th birthday and I knew for sure that I could not replicate that effort with my right knee having deteriorated so much over those 6 years,” Bob said.
When Bob came in for his initial consultation, he assumed no one took notice that his reason for wanting his right knee replaced as soon as possible was to give him a chance to complete his goal of hiking Half Dome. “I was very pleased that Dr. Noble agreed to do the Total Knee Replacement in December 2017 and based on my experience of the Total Knee Replacement on my left knee, I thought I was too aggressive in my planning to allow less than a year to recover before attempting the hike,” explains Bob, “so if Dr. Noble’s techniques and follow up protocols were as good as advertised, I thought it might be ‘doable’.”
To hike Half Dome, you have to win a lottery and luckily Bob and Donna won spots for September 19th. Although, 3 days past his 70th birthday, they set out at 5:30am and hiked the most difficult trail option on the way up and down gaining about a mile of elevation, with the last 900 feet being considered technical climbing because of the steepness and the necessity of using a cable. They made the round-trip in 11 hours and counting about 30 minutes on the summit.
“Thanks for providing me with the ability to recover and regain strength so quickly! Clearly I did my part, but without the surgery being completed so well, there is no way I could have made that particular hike/climb so quickly,” commended Bob.
Dr. Noble specializes in non-operative treatment and innovative surgical techniques for the treatment of knee and hip arthritis. He completed a total joint replacement fellowship at the Harvard School of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Orthopaedic residency at the Medical College. Learn more about Dr. Noble here.