Back to giving and living

She spent years caring for others, even as her pain worsened. Now, after double knee replacement, she’s back to what matters most.

Monica Emrock always had something, or someone, more important than her knees.

There were church sanctuaries to decorate, children to teach their faith to, gardens to keep blooming. Even as the pain crept in — then settled in — Monica still kept going.

Until one day, her world got smaller.

Her knees were swollen and the pain kept her awake at night. Every step took more effort, and the things she loved were no longer in reach.

That’s when Monica stopped pushing through and started looking for answers from AHN experts.

A long overdue decision

Monica met with AHN orthopaedic surgeon Alan Slipak, MD, who recommended she have both of her knees replaced.

“Monica had been dealing with ongoing, significant knee pain and continuing with her daily routine despite it,” Dr. Slipak said. “It’s not uncommon for patients to put off surgery, not realizing how much it can improve their quality of life.”

Monica has always been a hard worker. For years in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, she held two full-time roles — serving as a school secretary and director of religious education at her parish. Her days didn’t end there. She spent evenings and weekends at her church, painting, cleaning, and even waxing floors on her hands and knees.

She also made sure her students understood what it meant to give of themselves, taking them on regular trips to a local soup kitchen to feed those in need.

“It’s just something that’s in me — to feel like I want to give back,” Monica said. “There was no time for me to have my knees looked at. I just kept going.”

It wasn’t until Monica, 69, moved back home to the Pittsburgh area in 2024 that something shifted. “I was retired, and it was time to take care of myself and finally get my knees looked at,” she said.

Where expertise meets innovation

Dr. Slipak replaced Monica’s first knee in February 2025 and her second in July 2025. He performed both surgeries with the assistance of the Mako Total Knee SmartRobotics™. The technology uses a computed tomography (CT) scan of the patient’s joint to create a 3D map of the surgical area, providing patients with a highly personalized procedure. After preplanning, the robotic arm assists the surgeon with cutting away damaged bone according to the surgical plan.

In 2014, the AHN Orthopaedic Institute became the first program in western Pennsylvania to use Mako. Since then, AHN surgeons have performed over 15,000 knee and hip surgeries using Mako to relieve patients of pain from injury, osteoarthritis, or wear-and-tear arthritis.

According to the CDC, osteoarthritis is the most common cause of disability among adults in the U.S., afflicting more than 24 million Americans a year.

“Our team’s expertise, combined with the robotic technology, allows us to operate with increased precision and accuracy, resulting in less blood loss, less pain, and a quicker recovery than with traditional replacement surgery,” Dr. Slipak said. “We also preserve a significant amount of healthy joint tissue, so the new joint feels more natural.”

Progress she could feel each day

Recovery wasn’t a walk in the park, but Monica stuck with it. She approached rehab with her innate mindset: stay focused, keep moving, and trust the process. With support from AHN’s physical therapy team — both in-home and outpatient — she had the guidance and encouragement to keep going.

“I have to give credit to AHN physical therapy. They get you moving and motivated, and that was a huge help to me,” Monica said. “They would say, ‘Lift your leg up as high as you can and back as far as you can,’ and I thought ‘You have to be kidding me.’”

Day by day, she got stronger. Within two weeks, she was walking without a cane or walker. By week three, she was climbing stairs — something that once felt out of reach. Each step forward was proof of how far Monica had come.

These days, Monica is back to doing the things that make her feel like herself again. A self-proclaimed “dirt hunter,” she takes pride in a spotless, sparkly home. She keeps up with her two grandchildren, ages 8 and 5 — school pickups, playtime, and everything in between. She even spent time in the fall helping her daughter with gardening. And after 47 years of marriage, she’s right there alongside her husband, Thomas, matching pace with everyday life.

For Monica, it’s not just about what she can do again, but how she was treated at AHN along the way.

“We all want to be treated with respect and dignity,” Monica said. “I met so many people throughout AHN, and that’s exactly how they’re treated me. And that means everything.”

The details: What’s knee replacement surgery?

Healthy knees make it the movements we rely on every possible — walking, standing up, and climbing stairs. During knee replacement surgery, surgeons remove the damaged portions of the knee and replace them with artificial joints made of metal and plastic.

The most common reason for this procedure is to treat knee pain that does not respond to other treatments. Find out more about knee pain.

Why choose AHN for knee replacement surgery?

AHN experts offer a wide range of knee replacement options, tailoring care to meet each person’s medical needs and personal preferences. We were the first in Pennsylvania to perform minimally invasive knee replacements using Mako robotic surgery technology. This technology helps our surgeons perform knee replacement surgery with six times more precision than traditional techniques.

Conditions we treat with knee replacement surgery

Conditions that may require knee replacement surgery include the following:

• Arthritis
• Some forms of orthopaedic trauma, including shattered bones
• Bone diseases, such as osteonecrosis, which can cause permanent damage to bone tissue
• Complications from a bone infection (osteomyelitis)
• Cancer

Contact us

Call (412) DOCTORS 412-362-8677 or request an appointment to learn more about AHN Orthopaedic services.