Can you recommend a good knee doc?
Dr. James Lee Sr. in West Orange has worked on both my daughters' knees. He's excellent.
Works on horse knees in his spare time as well, if you happen to have a horse.
I just had knee surgery (meniscus repair) with Jason Garcia of West Orange. I generally am very impressed with him - unfortunately I'm still recovering from surgery and can't give a final verdict on that, but I recommend him as someone to keep in mind.
I've recommended Richard Rosa many times on this board (Jason Garcia is his associate and excellent.) Rosa replaced both of my knees 16 years ago and he's exceptional.
http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/service/Sports-Medicine/doctor/rrosa/
Having bad knee surgery will throw your life into a downward spiral. Don't ask me how I know. Just go to The Hospital for Special Surgery and get one of their surgeons to do it right. This is the surgeon I used to fix the first guy's (NY University Hospital) surgery.
Thanks all!
master_plvmber said:
Having bad knee surgery will throw your life into a downward spiral.
This is my fear. I have been leaning toward HSS for this reason, so thanks.
Since my first surgery in 2014, I've had to have it redone in 2015 and then PRP in 2016 to deal with what couldn't be fixed....it's been over two years and the compromised mobility has had far-reaching consequences physically, mentally and all the rest.
Just be careful. Don't chose your doctor out of convenience or anything other than extensive experience with your specific joint and time in the field. Doctors affiliated with HSS are chosen for consistently outstanding performance.
I am a big fan of HSS, having had three surgeries with two doctors there. But there are plenty of great surgeons all over the place, and you really want to go to the doctor who can handle your specific condition. Since this is a non-emergency, you have time to ask about how often the doctor has done the specific surgery, etc. I am sure there is an HSS doctor (and probably many of them) who has that experience, but you need to find him or her.
Finally, if this is an outpatient procedure, HSS's low infection rate, one of the prime reasons to use HSS, diminishes in importance.
I dunno. We saw a guy at HSS for my elder daughter and he recommended what seemed to us like a pretty radical procedure for the aftermath of a temporarily dislocated patella. Lee did something much gentler and it's worked fine, knock on wood.
HSS all the way. My husband saw Dr. Gregory DiFelice for his seriously injured knee. https://www.hss.edu/physicians_difelice-gregory.asp
My husband had his "unhappy triad" happily repaired by Dr. Thomas Wickiewicz at HSS. Another great HSS knee guy.
To put in another good word for Dr. Garcia - he's actually the favorite of my many doctors.
I've been through many to handle my ailments and I'm demanding.
He manages to consistently squeeze me in on a few days notice and answers all my questions and makes sure I understand what's going on.
Joe Rempson isn't a surgeon but he's a fantastic physiatrist
Heynj said:
I do not happen to hold a high opinion of HSS. I would rave, however, about Dr. Sheldon Lin and Dr. Joseph Rempson, both of whom are affiliated with Atlantic Health. I don't know whether either would have the specialty you are seeking, but they are both surgeons and both great. (They do not work out of the same practice.)
HSS is a brand. But each of its surgeons is also a brand.
IMO, the HSS brand largely concerns itself with low infection rates and high hiring standards.
But you also need to pay attention to the surgeon brand. I have had great experiences there, but there certainly is a distribution of qualities among the surgical staff.
The HSS low infection rates are great, but also keep in mind that in general they are not treating people with compromised immune systems, but people with injuries. I'm not a doctor, but I would think that would help keep the infection rate down.
My extended family has had several surgeries there. All good except for one, which was a disaster and had to be redone. And by a top HSS doc. So even the best aren't perfect.
There is absolutely no need to go into NYC/HSS for knee surgery. Both hospital systems in the area (Atlantic and Barnabas) have superbly trained knee surgeons. The same guys who do knee surgeries for the Jets and other professional teams.
It's true that the population certainly influences the infection rate, but irrelevant from the perspective of a patient. You don't want to get an infection in an hospital so you want to seek out hospitals with low infection rates
Also, I found the overall protocols at HSS to be above and beyond the levels of local hospitals. There is a remarkable level of fastidiousness from the moment you walk through the doors.
zucca said:
The HSS low infection rates are great, but also keep in mind that in general they are not treating people with compromised immune systems, but people with injuries. I'm not doctor, but I would think that would help keep the infection rate down.
My extended family has had several surgeries there. All good except for one, which was a disaster and had to be redone. And by a top HSS doc. So even the best aren't perfect.
I agree, @LivingLarge. I just wasn't sure how the infection rate for people with knee surgeries, say, compares to that of people with the same surgery elsewhere (vs. a hospital's overall infection rate).
Can't most knee surgery be done on an out-patient basis these days? I know that my husband had his surgery for a torn miniscus done by Dr Mirsky at Summit Medical Group. There is a wide range of opinion on Mirsky (based on past threads on this topic.) We were fine with him.
I had both knees replaced, at the same time, by Dr. Justin Lamont at NYU Langone. He is the real deal. Don't believe everything you read about the hospital. It was fine for me.
Torn meniscus and even ACL repair are done outpatient. It sounds as if the OP's situation could be an outpatient procedure, but I am most certainly not a doctor.
My problem is that the knee issue is complicated. The knee joint is OK and does not need replacing. The tendon is a mess and the pain has become chronic and difficult to manage. I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to allow a surgeon to rebuild the tendon, so I'd really like to find someone who has this specific skill and experience. Anyone with similar issues with advice or recommendations?
TIA.