76-Year-Old Burr Ridge Golfer Feels Better These Days

LA GRANGE, IL – Burr Ridge resident John Brockob has long liked to golf, but a bad knee was interfering with the game.

He managed the condition for a time with ibuprofen, but the pain escalated after a fall during a game, according to a news release from UChicago Medicine AdventHealth.

"I twisted my knee and tore my meniscus," said Brockob, now 76. "After that, I had trouble walking, and things never got better."

Eventually, he stopped golfing because the pain became unbearable, according to the release.

"I was walking like a pirate with a peg leg," Brockob said. "Even turning over in bed could be painful."

Dr. Michael Durkin told Brockob that he would know when he was ready for knee replacement surgery, the release said. After a couple of years, Brockob was ready.

On Oct. 18, he underwent surgery at the Center for Advanced Joint Replacement at UChicago Medicine AdventHealth's hospital in La Grange. That's where Durkin performs most of his knee replacement surgeries.

The center opened in the hospital's new outpatient pavilion in May 2020. In 2023, the center performed more than 3,000 joint replacements.

Brockob said he was pleased with his decision, according to the news release.

"Everyone I met was just great," he said. "Starting with the woman who checked me in at 5 in the morning – and was cheerful at that hour."

Brockob's surgery was at 7 a.m., and he was home by midafternoon.

He rehabbed at home and has been playing golf three to five times a week, often with a golf cart, according to the news release.

Brockob said his knee feels so good that he has cut four strokes from his handicap.