After more than four decades of farming west of Jamestown, Karla and Bob Ibes built a life defined by hard work, long days and doing everything side by side. In retirement, life has slowed — but their commitment to each other has not.
That commitment was tested when both began experiencing joint pain that limited the life they worked so hard to build.
For Karla, it was her knee. “It really affected my walking,” she says. “I just wasn’t able to be as active as I normally would be.”
For Bob, it was both shoulders — pain that built over time until even sleep became difficult. “I couldn’t lift anything above my head,” says Bob. “You adapt, but you’re not really living the way you want to.”
A coordinated path to recovery
With guidance from JRMC Orthopedic Surgeon Dr. Michael T. Dean, Karla and Bob chose joint replacement — Karla with a knee replacement in February of this year, and Bob with both shoulders, the most recent in December. What followed was not just surgery — but a shared journey of recovery.
“They encourage you to get up and move right away,” says Karla. “And every day, you can see improvement. I can already do more than I could just weeks ago.”
For Bob, the results were almost immediate. “The next morning, I could already move better,” he says. “You just have to be careful not to overdo it because you feel so good.”
A key part of their success came through rehabilitation. Working with the team at JRMC, both Karla and Bob experienced steady, measurable progress.
“Recovery doesn’t happen by chance — it happens through consistency, guidance and trust in the process,” shares JRMC Physical Therapist Colton Ormiston. “Karla and Bob showed up, did the work and supported each other every step of the way.”
In fact, timing worked in their favor. “The day he finished therapy, I started mine,” Karla says. “We helped each other with everything.” That shared experience made a difference. “Seeing how well his surgery went helped me feel more confident,” she adds.
Back to the life they love
For the Ibes family, choosing JRMC was about more than quality care — it was about trust and proximity. “We’d heard great things, and being close to home matters,” says Karla and Bob. “Everything went just like they told us it would.”
Today, they’re back to enjoying retirement — fishing, hunting and spending time with family — with a renewed sense of freedom. Their advice to others considering joint replacement? “Don’t worry about it,” Bob says. “Just stick with the therapy — it works.”
Karla agrees. “It’s not just the surgery,” she says. “The therapy is just as important. It all works together.”
From surgery to rehabilitation — and every step in between — their journey shows what’s possible with expert care and the determination to keep moving forward.
Take the first step toward moving without pain again. Expert care is closer than you think.
As seen in the Summer 2026 issue of AppleSeeds.