Boothbay Harbor Police Officer Larry Brown has always been active: a swimmer, biker and runner. He spent years participating in triathlons. However, all that wear and tear had its consequences, and Brown had been dealing with issues from a torn meniscus (the knee cartilage that absorbs shock) for years. He had three surgeries, cortisone shots, and gel inserts before he decided it was time for knee replacement surgery in December 2023. 

He went in for surgery at 10 a.m., and by 2 o’clock was striding out with the aid of a walker. Three weeks later, he was diving back into the pool at the local Y (with special tape to keep his incision dry).

Brown, a certified aquatics instructor, is a longtime proponent of water-based exercise. “Water is so much more forgiving.” 

Water can ease pressure on joints. According to the Aquatic Exercise Association, submersing up to the mid-chest can reduce the weight-bearing load on the body by 75%, and up to 90% when the water comes up to the shoulders. Harvard Medical School outlined other benefits, including easing musculoskeletal pain, increased calorie burns, and strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system.  

It took Brown about a year to fully recover but he feels the process was expedited by his time in the pool. He also met other people recovering from knee surgeries while there, fostering a sense of community as they shared their recovery journeys. “Not only has this helped me out physically, but mentally.”  

One of the things Brown struggled with was retraining his mind to use parts of his body he hadn’t been able to. Over the past year, Brown has returned to his passions, with some adjustments. He'd never been fond of e-bikes, but he wouldn’t have been about to complete his recent 25-mile ride from Lincoln County Sheriff's Department in Wiscasset to Augusta for police Memorial Day without one. Return to what you love, but don't go overboard, he advises. 

Brown is also offering his services to any student-athletes at Boothbay Region High School who might want to try aqua therapy. He’s helped several in the past but he’s not a physical therapist so he requires students to get approval from their care team and parents first.

Does he regret not getting a knee replacement earlier? No. Brown feels he did it at the right time, but he encourages anyone thinking of the procedure to do it sooner rather than later. There’s always a chance that a few years down the road, some may not be healthy enough to undergo the procedure. It all comes down to one thing: “How long do you want to go on letting one joint dictate what you can and can't do?"