Resurgens Patient Returns to Running

After More Than a Decade of Chronic Knee Pain

Randy Adams, 50, of Lawrenceville, serves as a teacher and cross-country coach at Peachtree Ridge High School in Gwinnett. Married for 26 years to his wife Annette, Randy is also a father to three teenage children.

Since his own teenage years, Randy has been a runner, competing on both his high school and college teams. He continued to run recreationally after graduating college and soon became a seasoned triathlete. Over time, however, chronic knee issues began to hamper Randy's active passion.

In December of 2002 Randy made his first appointment at Resurgens Orthopaedics with Dr. C. Michael Morris, which would start a 10-year collaboration to get him running again.

"Randy's knee pain stemmed largely from genetic factors like arthritis and bowed legs," asserted Dr. Morris. "So eliminating that pain was much more complex than with your typical injury case."

Soon after that first appointment, it was decided that Randy would undergo a cartilage transplant procedure in his right knee, in conjuncture with a high right tibial osteotomy to help relieve his chronic knee pain.

Despite the procedure's success, Randy continued to have problems in the surrounding areas of his leg, as well as in his left knee. Over the next 7 years, he would undergo 9 knee procedures with Dr. Morris. The last of these procedures was a total left knee replacement conducted in December of 2008.

“I owe so much to Dr. Morris and the rest of his team at Resurgens"

"The knee replacement was a big decision but I knew that I was ready," said Randy.

By the beginning of the following summer, Randy was getting back into his regular active routine and seeing his quality of life improve more and more each day. Starting off with activities like biking and swimming, Randy gradually began running as well.

"It wasn't easy, but I was determined to make it work," said Randy of introducing running back into his routine. "I began with a walk/run program and struggled to run a 10 minute mile when I started. But after 6 months of hard work and losing nearly 20 pounds, I was running 10 miles for the first time in 19 years."

Today Randy runs 20 to 30 miles per week and hopes to be able to achieve a 5:50 mile before the year is up. This year he also competed in his first 5K race in 20 years where he won first place in his age group.

"I owe so much to Dr. Morris and the rest of his team at Resurgens for giving me the opportunity to live an active lifestyle again," said Randy. "I'm now able to join my family of runners on training runs and in races which has been a dream of mine for many years."

Dr. C. Michael Morris received his medical degree from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham, Alabama, and completed his medical residency at Georgia Baptist Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia. His areas of expertise include sports medicine and arthroscopy. He is currently an active member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Arthroscopy Association of North America, Georgia Orthopaedic Society, and Atlanta Orthopaedic Society.