For nearly two decades, Duke employee Craig Dearth lived with chronic knee pain that shaped every step of his day. After a devastating motorcycle accident left his left knee severely damaged, Dearth assumed a joint replacement was out of reach. That changed with the guidance of Dr. Michael Bolognesi, MD, Adult Reconstruction Division Chief and Virginia Flowers Baker Distinguished Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Duke.
Leveraging rapid advances in joint replacement technology, surgical techniques, and outpatient care, Bolognesi helped Dearth understand that knee replacement was no longer a distant possibility but a viable path forward. The procedure marked a turning point, dramatically reducing pain and restoring mobility—allowing Dearth to return to daily activities and rediscover parts of life he had long put on hold.
“The most rewarding thing is the ability to help improve people’s pain and function,” Bolognesi said. “The overwhelming majority of folks do dramatically well with a relatively low instance of complications.”
For Bolognesi, the outcome reflects the mission of adult reconstruction care at Duke: combining innovation, experience, and patient-centered care to help people move beyond pain and toward healthier, more active lives. Read more.