“I was having pain and discomfort in my right knee,” says
Sally Myers. “It got to where it hurt to swim, and going up stairs was often a
slow and painful process.”
Over the next couple of years, the condition deteriorated.
“I like to travel,” continues Sally, “and when I’d visit
friends or family, we’d go sightseeing and I was always the last one coming
along. I got tired of being last!
“One day, we were in the Metro in DC and the escalators
went out. We had to walk up the escalator stairs, and I wasn’t sure I was going
to make it. I said,
Okay, that’s it
.”
Luckily, Sally knew who to consult: her orthopaedic
doctor, Richard Steinfeld, MD, also a Fellow of the American Academy of
Orthopaedic Surgeons.
“I’d spent about four years with some physical therapy and
some injections,” she explains, adding that she appreciated the fact that she wasn’t
pushed toward surgery.
“Dr. Steinfeld told me I’d know when it was time, and he
was right. He didn’t say,
We must do this
.
He left it up to me.”
Dr. Steinfeld confirms, “Sally came in and said,
I’m ready to have it done
. At
Orthopaedic Center of Vero Beach, we have the tools and treatment options to
address joint problems in patients of all ages, and we always want to recommend
the least invasive measure we have available when possible. For patients like
Sally, who have deterioration that is beyond what can be addressed
conservatively, we support their decision to have a total knee replacement.
“Sally had reached the point where she couldn’t withstand
the discomfort and her reduced mobility,” reminds Dr. Steinfeld. “At that
point, I agreed that the total knee procedure was the best avenue to alleviate
her pain and return her to a productive lifestyle.”
“It was fantastic, much better than I expected,” marvels
Sally. “I credit Dr. Steinfeld for leaving it up to me and not pushing me to
have it done, and then for all the rehab and support from his office and at
home.
“I’m only two months out from surgery, and have very
little discomfort,” she reports. “I can do everything I want to: I’m swimming
again, and I just took a trip to Boston and handled stairs very well.”
Sally says that she is so pleased with the care and compassion
she receives from the doctor, she has already referred others to him.
“I would recommend him to anybody, and if I needed
anything else in the orthopaedic realm, there’s no question that I would return
to Dr. Steinfeld. I just feel very confident in him.”
FHCN –
Michael J. Sahno