Gary Arner’s Double Knee Replacement at Lehigh Valley 2015

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Gary Arner used to squat more than 800 pounds and dead lift more than 700. But by mid-summer, his knees were so shot that the former competitive powerlifter couldn’t get around without the aid of a walker.

“It’s terrible. It’s depressing,” the 55-year-old Allentown resident said of his loss of mobility and independence. “It wears on you.”

“I’m not going to lie,” Gary Arner of Allentown told The Morning Call after a double knee replacement last summer. “That first week was tough. It hurts.”

But less than two months later he was back to pumping iron in his garage ??? though only upper-body work because he wanted his new knees to last as long as possible. He said his knees were pain-free, although his back and hips were a bit achy because, after years of stooping to accommodate knees that wouldn’t lock, he was again standing straight, reaching his full height of 6 feet 2 inches.

“The first thing out of [people’s] mouths is, ‘Wow, you look taller!'” he said. “It’s like I’m a new person.”