Skip to main content
mayologo1
  • Patient Online Services
  • Pay Bill Online
  • Request an Appointment
    • Services
    • Providers
    • Locations

      Minnesota

      • Adams
      • Albert Lea
      • Austin
      • Belle Plaine
      • Blooming Prairie
      • Butterfield
      • Caledonia
      • Cannon Falls
      • Fairmont
      • Faribault
      • Janesville
      • Kenyon
      • Lake City
      • Le Sueur
      • Mankato
      • Montgomery
      • New Prague
      • New Richland
      • Northfield
      • Owatonna
      • Plainview
      • Red Wing
      • Sherburn
      • St. James
      • St. Peter
      • Waseca
      • Waterville
      • Wells
      • Zumbrota

      Wisconsin

      • Arcadia
      • Barron
      • Bloomer
      • Chetek
      • Chippewa Falls
      • Eau Claire
      • Ellsworth
      • Glenwood City
      • Holmen
      • La Crosse
      • Menomonie
      • Mondovi
      • Onalaska
      • Osseo
      • Prairie du Chien
      • Rice Lake
      • Sparta
      • Tomah

      Iowa

      • Decorah
      • Lake Mills

      View map
    • Classes/Events
    • Blog
    • Wellness
    • Referrals
    • COVID-19

    Recent Posts

    • Two kids playing video games
      Speaking of Health
      Can children develop Type 2 diabetes?
      March 27, 2023
    • Child on swing
      Speaking of Health
      Create an asthma action plan for your child
      March 24, 2023
    • Person with arm up, expressing joy
      Speaking of Health
      Tips for embracing joy in daily life
      March 23, 2023
    Featured Topics
    • Behavioral Health
    • Cancer
    • Children's Health (Pediatrics)
    • COVID-19
    • COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Exercise and Fitness
    • Heart Health
    • Men's Health
    • Neurosurgery
    • Obstetrics and Gynecology
    • Orthopedic Health
    • Weight Loss and Bariatric Surgery
    • Women's Health
    Join our email newsletter
    Patient Stories
    Thursday, October 5, 2017

    New knee works like magic

    Topics in this Post
    • Orthopedic Health
    Linda Bure

    Linda Bure of Austin, Minnesota, knew it was time to take care of her aching knee when she noticed her dog started to gain weight due to her inability to take him for a daily walk.

    For over 10 years, Bure lived with, and learned to adapt to, pain in her left knee. Eventually, it became so excruciating that she started walking with a cane. At first, it was just to help her get in and out of her car, but when she started using it continuously and her preschool students started to ask questions, she knew she couldn’t continue living the life of an 80-year-old when she was only 52.

    In May 2016, Bure made an appointment with her regular provider for an annual physical exam. During this visit, the provider asked Bure about the cane. Before Bure knew it, X-rays were scheduled, and she had an appointment to see Michael Eckstrom, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.

    “Within the first few minutes of my appointment with Dr. Eckstrom, he said I needed a new knee,” says Bure. “The only words I could get out at the time were ‘thank you,’ as I was crying tears of joy thinking relief was in sight.”

    Surgery was scheduled for August 2016. Meanwhile, in June, Bure had emergency surgery to remove her gall bladder.

    “I was so worried my knee surgery was going to get pushed back due to the unexpected gall bladder surgery, but I healed well and was able to keep the knee surgery as scheduled,” says Bure. “I was somewhat concerned with the thought of going through a second major surgery in less than two months. But, I have a very strong faith base, and with help and encouragement from my amazing friends and co-workers, I knew it would all work out in the end.”

    Just hours after coming out of surgery, Bure already felt relief from the pain she had been living with for so long. “I was so impressed with Dr. Eckstrom and the entire team,” says Bure. “I was not viewed as just another surgical case, but was cared for as a whole person.”

    Bure says that having a bit of Norwegian stubbornness in her genes, she went back to work part time after only seven weeks and full time after just 10 weeks, compared to the normal 10 to 12 weeks expected recovery time.

    “I was finally able to do the simple things in life that I enjoy without the pain,” says Bure. “I’m able to hop on one foot and dance with my preschoolers.”

    Bure also is able to vacuum without having to take breaks, make dinner for her friends and enjoy it without being too exhausted, and, of course, take her dog for his daily walk.

    “I feel so different. I have a newfound energy, and everyone around me can see it,” says Bure. “As my preschoolers would say: It’s like magic.”


    For the safety of our patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a non-patient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.
    Topics in this Post
    • Orthopedic Health

    Related Posts

    Jumping over rocks wooded area Top 3 reasons to see an orthopedic provider
    Laurie Bakkum Joint effort makes Laurie Bakkum's knee surgery possible
    Blake Robinson Goodbye to pain after long-delayed hip surgery

    Stay Connected

    • Contact Us
    • Notice of Nondiscrimination
    • Notice of Privacy Practices
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • About Us
    • Careers
    • Volunteer
    • Donate
    • For Patients & Visitors
    • Financial Assistance
    • Community Resources
    • Mayo Clinic Connect
    • For Medical Professionals
    • Press Room
    • Mayo Clinic
    • Home
    © 2018 - 2023 Mayo Clinic Health System