Molly Seaman
Salsa dancer, yoga lover, gymnast, and Conformis enthusiast Molly Seaman suffered a very traumatic gymnastic-related injury while on the University of Washington gymnastics team, and underwent multiple surgeries while still in college. From then on, she suffered terrible knee pain to the point where she actually considered amputation. When her orthopedic surgeon introduced her to the idea of a customized knee from Conformis, Molly immediately began to research more about the company and knee replacement surgery recovery with the technology.
Q: When did you have your surgery?
A: I had my surgery when I was 31 years old.
Q: What made you decide to get knee replacement surgery at such a young age?
A: I started gymnastics when I was four years old and did gymnastics through college at the University of Washington. I unfortunately suffered a catastrophic knee injury my sophomore year and had multiple surgeries while I was in college and continued to struggle with knee pain afterwards. So my entire 20’s were plagued with surgery after surgery. I ended up with 14 surgeries by the age of 31 and was dealing with chronic pain lots of pain meds – I was on medical leave from my third career. It was just not a good time in my life. Very depressing, very frustrating to deal with that much pain and I was looking for a solution to resolve it.
Q: It sounds like you're a very educated healthcare consumer. What in your research led you to Conformis?
A: With all of the injuries that I had in college, it increased my interest in the medical field. I am very active in researching different treatment options for myself, so I knew that I needed to be an advocate to make sure that I was getting the treatment that I needed. My surgeon actually introduced me to the idea of a total knee replacement and introduced me to the company Conformis. I didn’t have much research at that time knowing the different companies. I knew of the larger companies that are out there and he recommended Conformis so that piqued my interest because I knew if it was something that he recommended, it’s something that I should look into. What really struck me is the fact that the knee is actually customized to each patient. So I was going to get a knee that fit my anatomy. That made perfect sense to me and made me wonder, “What do the other companies do?” So that’s really where I started that conversation with him.
Q: How do you feel now that you've had your knee replacement?
A: I am extremely ecstatic with how I feel now. I’m back to my crazy, goofy, normal self, which was gone for almost a decade. My family, my friends, my fiancé, they’re all extremely grateful to have me back. I’m total goof, totally happy and it’s something that I hadn’t been for over a decade.
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Irene had a partial knee replacement in 2011 after years of pain, and post-surgery she is back to biking 3-4 times a week and kickboxing.
MEET Irene »Tedd, a physical fitness enthusiast and dog lover, had both his knees replaced October 2014. He now works out regularly and walks his dog Stella 3 miles to and from the gym.
MEET Tedd »As an avid tennis player and former flight attendant, Janet says she's walked "about a million miles". After struggling through injections for years, she finally let her surgeon know she was ready for a bilateral knee replacement.
MEET Janet »Why a Personalized Knee?
If it's not Conformis, it's not truly patient-specific
Why a Personalized Knee?
Patient Experiences
Real patients talk about why they received their Conformis knee
Patient Experiences