Terry Queen assumed his leg pain was due to a back injury but later realized he had gout, a type of inflammatory arthritis.

His pain had reached the point of significantly reducing his mobility, and Queen was no longer able to care for the dogs he handles through his longtime canine training business.

After a visit with Dr. Frank “Spike” Phillips, an orthopaedic surgeon with Medical Group of the Carolinas - Cherokee Orthopaedics, Queen had total knee replacement surgery on both knees about a year ago. He has never looked back.

A positive attitude kept Queen going. As a retired corpsman for the U.S. Navy and Marines and a former athletic trainer, he understands the importance of rehabilitation and following doctors’ orders.

Queen said Dr. Phillips “shoots you straight” and has both compassion and honesty around patient conditions and pathways to recovery. Queen had complete trust in his care team, he said. 

Now, he encourages other knee replacement patients to have the same mindset of perseverance and not giving up. He took that approach and is back to doing what he loves, leading dog obedience training classes and enjoying time with his own dogs.

“You got to have a positive attitude going into it,” said Queen, highlighting the importance of trusting your care team and following through with next steps. “Don’t say, ‘I hope this is going to work.’ You have to say, 'This is going to work.’”

To schedule a consultation with Dr. Phillips, please call 864-488-3336.