NEW YORK – October 12, 2009 – After leading the U.S. men's basketball team to Olympic gold last year and two weeks before the start of his 30th season as head coach of Duke University’s men’s basketball team, Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K), 61, is teaming up with the Arthritis Foundation to help raise awareness of the disease that nearly ended his coaching career 10 years ago.

To support World Arthritis Day 2009 today, Coach K is revealing how close he was to giving up the game he loved because of painful osteoarthritis, the most common form of arthritis and a leading cause of disability in the U.S.[i]

World Arthritis Day 2009 is focusing on the impact of osteoarthritis in the workplace, whether that happens to be at an office, at home supporting a family, or in the case of Coach K, on a basketball court. Its theme is “Let's Work Together” and the Arthritis Foundation is hoping Coach K can inspire and motivate the 27 million Americans affected by osteoarthritis to take control over their condition through physical activity, weight management and a variety of treatment options, depending on the severity of the disease. Arthritis and related conditions cost the U.S. economy nearly $128 billion per year in medical care and indirect expenses, including lost wages and productivity.[ii]

“Most people know Coach K as a legendary coach and humanitarian, but very few know the impact osteoarthritis had on his life before he was able to take control over it,” said John H. Klippel, MD, president and CEO of the Arthritis Foundation. “Unfortunately, many people are not aware of how serious, painful and life-altering a disease like osteoarthritis can be and what the options are to prevent or treat it across a continuum of care.”

 

Osteoarthritis is a chronic condition characterized by the loss in the joint’s cartilage and changes in bone. These abnormalities lead to stiffness, pain and loss of movement in the joint. Symptoms typically begin to appear after age 40.2  

Mild to moderate osteoarthritis may be managed with diet and exercise and the occasional use of acetaminophen or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to help reduce joint pain, stiffness and swelling. Joint replacement surgery is a consideration for people with advanced arthritis associated with joint damage, serious limitations in physical mobility and an overall reduced quality of life.[iii]

 Additional information about the prevention and treatment of osteoarthritis can be found at www.arthritis.org/world-arthritis-day, the Arthritis Foundation’s Web site. 

It was during the 1994 season when Coach K first experienced pain and discomfort in his left hip due to osteoarthritis. Over the next five years, the pain only got worse and in 1999, at the age of 52, Coach K was walking with a limp and coaching Duke basketball games from a chair -- an unfamiliar sight to those who had grown accustomed to seeing his active and energetic coaching style. His mobility was so limited, he was unable to stand up with his team for a “hands on” before a game.

Duke finished the 1999 season equaling the NCAA record for most wins with 37, winning the NCAA East Regional title, winning the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Tournament for the first time since 1992, recording the first 16-0 record in the ACC regular season, securing a school-record 32-game winning streak during the year and wrapping it all up as the NCAA runner-ups. Despite it all, Coach K's debilitating pain and lack of mobility led him to contemplate the unthinkable: an early retirement from the game he loved.

“I really came close to retiring from coaching because the pain was getting unbearable both on and off the court, despite daily medications and physical therapy,” said Coach K. “That ‘99 season could very well have been my last if I didn't get help.” He had considered hip replacement before but kept putting it off, thinking he could live through the pain of osteoarthritis. He also thought he couldn’t afford to take the time off to have the procedure because he didn't want to miss a season. But this time, it was take action or stop coaching. 

 

After consultation with his physician, Coach K had his left hip replaced in April 1999. The usual hospital stay for hip replacement is three to five days, and full recovery with rehabilitation and physical therapy typically takes three to six months. Coach K underwent rehabilitation from April to June. According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), more than 193,000 total hip replacements are performed each year in the U.S.[iv]

Coach K says by June he was back to doing normal activities, but there was a big difference. He was no longer in pain, no longer walking with a limp and his range of motion had improved. In October of 2000, he was back on the court running up and down the sidelines coaching his heart out. He didn’t miss a season. One year later, Coach K led Duke to its third NCAA national championship further solidifying his reputation as one of the top college basketball coaches of all time.

In 2002, Coach K had his right hip replaced after experiencing similar symptoms, but this time he didn’t wait so long. He had another successful operation and rehabilitation and later that same year he led his team, featuring six freshmen, to a 26-7 record, its fifth consecutive ACC Tournament championship and the school’s sixth consecutive appearance in the NCAA Sweet 16.

 “I wish I had made the decision to have hip replacement sooner. I had exhausted all the non-surgical options, but still put off the surgery. This cost me some quality of life and it almost cost me the joys I continue to experience as a coach.”

In July, Coach K agreed to return as the U.S. Olympic basketball coach for the 2012 Olympics in London. “I would have missed a lot if I stopped coaching in 1999 and I feel I have so much more to do.”

Arthritis Foundation activities associated with World Arthritis Day 2009 are supported in part by DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., a leading global provider of orthopaedic devices for hip, knee, extremities and trauma, and a Johnson & Johnson company. Coach K is a paid spokesperson for DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc.

The Arthritis Foundation is the leading health organization addressing the needs of some 46 million Americans living with arthritis, the nation’s most common cause of disability. Founded in 1948, with headquarters in Atlanta, the Arthritis Foundation has multiple service points located throughout the country and offers programs that can decrease the pain and disability associated with arthritis.         

 

The Arthritis Foundation is the largest private, not-for-profit contributor to arthritis research in the world, funding more than $400 million in research grants since 1948. The foundation helps individuals take control of arthritis by providing public health education; pursuing public policy and legislation; and conducting evidence-based programs to improve the quality of life for those living with arthritis. Information is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-800-283-7800 or www.arthritis.org.