Orthopedic Patient Stories

From Pain to Pickleball

Tonya Collins reclaimed her mobility and gets back to the active life she loves with a double knee replacement.

Walking into church had never meant more to Harrisburg resident Tonya Collins than it did a year ago.

She had a new lease on life that week. Though Tonya had to use a walker, she was able to walk into a Sunday service pain-free for the first time in years. Just four days earlier, she had both knees replaced.

“It was such an uplifting feeling,” Tonya said. “My goal was to be able to walk into church that day, and I did just that.” At 49 years old, Tonya was perplexed by the idea of getting both knees replaced. While she needed relief from six years of constant pain, a double knee replacement at her age seemed unusual. “One doctor I consulted  wanted me to wait until I was 60,” Tonya said. “That was 11 years away, and I needed a solution now. The pain relievers I had tried only provided temporary relief.”

While working full-time as a court reporter in the Second Judicial Circuit, Tonya also owned and operated a cupcake bakery from 2013 to 2019, but she was forced to close the bakery because her knee pain was too great to continue.

Tonya used CrossFit training to keep a 67-pound weight loss at bay, but when working out also became too painful to endure, she decided surgery was necessary.

“All the staff I encountered at Sarah Bush Lincoln were wonderful,” Tonya said. “Being three hours from home was a bit nervewracking, but they all gave me confidence that the procedure would go well. I completely trusted them.”

Members of her church told her about Sarah Bush Lincoln Orthopedic Surgeon Peter Bonutti, MD. After her initial appointment, she knew she had made the right decision.

Tonya went into surgery relaxed and confident in Dr. Bonutti, and everything went as planned. Tonya used a walker for a week-and-a-half, and by day 11 she didn’t need any support. By Tonya’s two-week follow-up appointment with Nick Williams, PA-C, she was doing better than expected. “Nick said it’s difficult for people to recover from a double-knee replacement that quickly, but I proved him wrong,” she said. “He told me I didn’t need any restrictions because I was doing so well.”

Just weeks after the surgery, Tonya could easily handle a four-mile walk, and she now plays pickleball two or three times a week. “I’m so grateful to Dr. Bonutti and the Sarah Bush Lincoln staff for helping me,” Tonya said. “They cared so much to make sure that I was better, and I feel better than ever.”

To make an appointment or for more information about SBL Orthopedics & Sports Medicine in Mattoon, call 217 238-3435. For the SBL Bonutti Clinic Orthopedics in Effingham, call 217 342-3400. You can call SBL Physical and Occupational Therapy at 217 258-2530.