“I’d had pain for decades, but a few years ago, it got really bad,” she says. Her six knee surgeries didn’t seem to help, and she found herself unable to walk a few blocks to the gym or to dinner. “I would take a taxi,” she says.
In February 2010, King underwent double knee replacement surgery. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 700,000 Americans undergo knee replacement surgery annually—but experts say that number doesn’t even come close to the number of arthritis sufferers who could benefit from the procedure. So why aren’t more people doing it? One common reason: Artificial knees typically only last between 10 and 15 years—a reason King herself put off getting the surgery for so long. But new medical advances mean that doesn’t have to be the case. King’s new knees are expected to last more than 30 years. “Let me put it to you this way,” she says, “They’re gonna live longer than I’m gonna live.”
She took recovery seriously. After her surgery, King spent a year doing rehab, which is something experts say many people don’t do but should. “People have to make a commitment to themselves,” says King. “They truly have to want this to work and just have to do it.” Today, King is back on the court and hitting the gym as much as she can. Busy schedule or not, King always makes time for some exercise. When I mention that I find it hard to stick to my beginner yoga class because the poses feel goofy, her reply says it all: “So what? Just do it, girl.” And so I will.
