Our August Patient of the Month is Sabrina Volpe, a vibrant hair stylist with over 32 years of experience. All that experience took its toll on her body, and while on Christmas vacation she experienced a frozen shoulder. Her arms were limp and numb, a result of holding them up repeatedly for 10 to 12 hours daily at work. “I felt like I couldn’t even move my arms.” At Genesis she received the individualized care that she needed. “Elliott sits and listens to you. You are not just a number, he has a game plan and really listens.” After an MRI, she received three rounds of injections with maintenance shots. “I literally was back to doing hair after my first rounds!” says Sabrina, who also adds that her husband, who used to be a semi-pro soccer player, wouldn’t go to any other orthopedic practice. She is also starting therapeutic massage to continue to improve her mobility and allow her to work without fear of another frozen shoulder. Because of her heavy workload, Elliott tailored a rehabilitation plan that suits her lifestyle. “I understand you work. But you know what, I have bands here,” he said, and developed a therapeutic exercise routine just for her. Sabrina says that he reassured her she’d be right on track and says, “He was right – it takes a full week to kick in. But within 24 hours, you don’t feel a bit tense anymore. Like I was able to lift my arms a little bit more and higher every day!”
By getting the care she needed and taking steps to maintain her progress, we know that Sabrina will have the opportunity to continue the things that matter to her most. Thanks for choosing Genesis, Sabrina!
Categoría: Foot and Ankle Overview
Patient of the Month: John Dunker
Mr. John Dunker is our May Patient of the Month. He is 83 years young and has always been active, playing polo and flying airplanes. Before he came to Genesis as a patient, he underwent a left knee replacement that resulted in more pain and occasional weakness that causes him to fall down backward. While the other doctor promised him his knee would be customized, it turns out it was off-the-shelf and not customized as promised.
Mr. Dunker then came to Genesis for the first time, looking for a better outcome for his right knee, which also needed replacement. “When Dr. Shadid did (my knee) I went in in the morning and I was out that night. When the other doctors (not Dr. Shadid) did the left one, I was there from the 12th through the 28th of February! I couldn’t say enough good about Genesis. They delivered what they promised.” He underwent physical therapy, with the bulk of the work being focused on his previous knee replacement, saying “they were working with the left knee, because the left one is causing all the problems.” He is still struggling with pain and lack of control with the first replacement that the other doctors (not Dr. Shadid or Genesis) did.
Mr. Dunker wants all patients to do their research and advocate for themselves, as well as choose the best possible providers. He says, “With the outcome of what Genesis did with my right leg, I couldn’t be happier.”
Patient of the Month: Yousef Elayyan
Our Patient of the Month for April is Yousef Elayyan!
Mr. Elayyan is a mechanic with over 25 years of experience and his knees and shoulders suffered from repetitive motion and stress. When he arrived at Genesis he received PRP and cortisone shots. The PRP shots helped his knees, while the cortisone was better on his shoulder.
“In the beginning I had a few shots, three or four on each knee, and it did help me, but it only helped for a while. Then I started getting the pain again, but I think it’s just my job in general, the repetition.” He also did a couple of months of physical therapy. As time progressed, the pain came back and Mr. Elayyan is in the process of deciding on exploratory surgery to find out more about his condition and in order to make a long term plan for his recovery.
Recently he noticed that while he was on vacation, the pain that is always with him subsided greatly, which supports the idea that his work is a major factor in his joint pain. “At the end of the week (of vacation) is when I noticed the actual difference, literally in one week they got better.”
Since he plans on continuing to work and he likes to be active with his four children, the insight he gains from Genesis about his condition will help him make the best decisions about his care, whether continuing with the injections or going ahead with a surgical option.
Patient of the Month: Steven Spencer
Our February Patient of the Month is Steven Spencer. In his youth and all the way into his 40s, Steven was the consummate athlete, saying that he “didn’t believe that increased activity and sports could lead to future problems.” A double threat, he played baseball and football for Perdue and continued enjoying sports and being active until knee degeneration started to get the best of him, riddling him with pain.
Mr. Spencer came to Genesis because Dr. Shadid uses the Conformis knee replacement system, which is designed and fitted specifically for the individual patient for a customized fit. He had his surgery on one knee in January 2020 and walked out of the hospital as soon as he was able to stand, later that day. He chose to have the second surgery as soon as possible and had the second surgery in February before Covid-19 shut everything down. He started to feel the pain recede as his mobility improved. He didn’t do any physical therapy, instead using the knowledge amassed from his years as an athlete to become more and more mobile.
Even though he is not pain-free, he now can walk with less pain and climb stairs with more ease. With his winning attitude, Steven is improving his endurance and strength every day.
Patient of the Month: Marcella Pinne
Our Patient of the Month for November is Marcella Pinne!
Marcella is a 37-year-old mom and was a gymnast earlier in life. The stress of the sport contributed to developing stage 4 arthritis in her knee. She also suffered from a vitamin D deficiency, which made her bones fragile and easier to break. Last June she suffered a tibial plateau fracture when a large dog jumped on her and she came to Genesis. Her knee was braced, and she spent 7 weeks in a wheelchair while she recovered.
While the prospect of surgery to repair the fracture or a knee replacement scared her, what terrified her was the possibility of never being able to walk again unless she relieved some stress on her joints by losing weight, so she followed PA Sincer Jacobs’ advice and took his words to heart. “Mr. Jacobs is very down to earth, he doesn’t beat around the bush, and I like his perspective on things.”
While her fracture healed, Marcella started taking supplements and did a lifestyle overhaul. The brace came off, she has lost 40 lb., and feels the difference on her body and her legs. By combining strengthening exercises with housework, she has been able to greatly improve her mobility and may not need surgery anymore. Her first achievement was walking around a large neighborhood block and now can go up the stairs unassisted for the first time in 15 years!
“I want to keep going because I have more improvement to go. I have more weight to lose and my knee is much better but the lighter I am, the stronger I am, the more physical ability I am going to have. I am going to keep going to achieve the personal goals I have set for myself.
For more information on knee pain treatment, you can check out the top 5 stretches to relieve knee pain.
Patient of the Month: Murray Hudson
We’re excited to announce that September’s Patient of the Month is Murray Hudson.
Murray suffered from osteoarthritis of the right hip and he continued to work despite the increasing deterioration. He managed his pain through cortisone shots but eventually they became ineffectual. When basic daily activities became impossible, Murray decided it was time to address the problem full on. “I just couldn’t deal with the pain anymore. I couldn’t sleep at night and I couldn’t do basic things like tie my shoes.”
Murray had an outpatient full hip replacement on July 9th and was giving it his all the very next day at physical therapy. “Initially therapy was very painful, but I was used to dealing with the pain already and it didn’t really hurt any worse.” He was so enthusiastic about his recovery that his treatment team asked him to slow down! Murray’s determination is an inspiration. He says, “My recovery is up to me, the outcome depends on how hard I work and what I do is going to determine how I feel.” He started out on the stationary bike and soon was walking four blocks. He is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and is looking forward to the day he can go back to work, pain free. “Ultimately just going back to work is my goal but what I really want to be able to go swimming again.”
Murray has a new appreciation for life after hip surgery. “I don’t think there’s more that the doctors and therapists could’ve done for me. Everybody was nice and told me what to expect. They have been encouraging, telling me to keep going and it was a good overall experience. You don’t know what it is like, being in chronic pain, and then there’s no pain.” With his dedication and hard work, he is a role model for other patients undergoing physical therapy. “It makes me feel like Superman, because every time I go to physical therapy the other patients cheer me on and tell me I’m doing great. I’ll tell everybody the same thing: you just have to do the work. I worked really hard to get to where I am right now, doing the hip exercises every day.” With his determination, we know we’ll see Murray at the pool soon!
Patient of the Month: Rose Hollister
Our August Patient of the Month is Rose Hollister. She slipped on a rainy parking lot on November of 2018 and shattered her kneecap. Rose is extremely active so having surgery was a real challenge. “It was very important to figure out a way back to my ability to work out every day.”
She had knee treatment to reconstruct her kneecap the day after her injury and was back in the pool by Christmas. “I was able to go back and swim a mile the first time that I got in the pool. Yesterday I walked four miles. Today I swam a mile and this weekend I’ll go out and bike 25 miles.”
“I didn’t know what to expect from the process. I still feel something in my knee, but what I cared about is that I could do everything I could do before. It took some time and effort but now I can.” Rose worked hard on her rehabilitation and physical therapy with the staff at Genesis. “I was very impressed with the entire staff. They are very caring and do a great job of listening. They have a personal touch that you don’t find in many offices these days. Their quality of care and personal touch is quite impressive.”
Another impressive achievement is that Rose completed a full triathlon last September. “It was a mile swim, a 6.2-mile walk, and a 25-mile bike ride all on the same day. The fact that I am back to working out every day and can do that kind of distance makes me feel like I am fully healed.”
Patient of the Month: Kim Johnson
Patient of the Month: Kim Johnson
We’re excited to announce Kim Johnson is our July patient of the month.
Before coming to Genesis, Kim had tried physical therapy for her arthritic knees, but they kept degenerating. “I was in a great deal of pain and had difficulty walking. It affected all aspects of my life. The pain was so intense I needed to use a wheelchair.” Kim was determined to change her life and be in control. She started with some small lifestyle changes that led to a healthier diet and to weight loss. Her general practitioner referred her to Genesis and Dr. Shadid, who recommended knee replacement. “Dr. Shadid was so kind. He answered all my questions, so I knew what to expect.”
Kim was delighted after her first surgery. “It was quite amazing that the procedure could be done as outpatient and that I was able to stand up and walk down the hallway that same day!” Six months after the first surgery, Kim had the second knee replaced. She worked hard at her rehabilitation and embraced knee physical therapy and her healthy lifestyle with great results. “I was hoping for better mobility, but the results were beyond my expectations! I never thought I could pedal a bike, wear a heel or dance again. I feel like the whole world has opened up to me. Now I’m looking forward to trying new things and doing all the activities I haven’t been able to do in a long time. I am really excited about this new chapter! When you have the right mindset, the right tools and the right team to help you, you never know how far you can go!”
Patient of the Month: Kathleen Dragan
We’re excited to announce Kathleen Dragan is our second patient of the month for June!
What did Kathleen’s pain feel like before she came to Genesis? She writes, “I was in so much pain I couldn’t even put the turn signal on in my car. I couldn’t sleep, walk my kids to school, or put a dish away. It was terrible. I was in so much pain that I didn’t even feel like I could be myself.”
Now that her injury has been addressed, things are much better. She writes, “Three months later, I can confidently say that I am back to myself! I can participate in the activities that I enjoy like running and yoga. I am still working on getting stronger, but I no longer have to live with constant pain.”
We asked Kathleen if she had any comments for her primary provider at Genesis, and we’re so grateful for her kind words. She wrote, “I would like to thank Sincer Jacob for seeing me so quickly, listening to all of my concerns, and always being there for me throughout my recovery. When I had some irritating side effects from the first medication I was on, he was quick to adjust my plan and checked in often to make sure I was doing ok. I felt like he wasn’t just treating my injury, he was treating me as a whole person.”
That’s what we’re all about at Genesis – treating people as full people, in all their humanity, and providing the best care to everyone.
Patient of the Month is a new initiative where we highlight success stories within our patient community. There’s always too many to choose, but we’re grateful for the opportunity to have come alongside Kathleen for her orthopedic challenges and look forward to serving more people like her!
Patient of the Month: Ben Hinkle
We’re excited to announce Ben Hinkle is our June patient of the month.
Ben came to Genesis with a tricky situation. He had a frozen shoulder, which meant very poor range of motion and lots of pain. Ben says, “My left shoulder was difficult to move and when I did move it I had extreme pain. The nerves were being pinched by the bones.”
After working with Stacie, Ben says, “Now with the physical therapy and the cortisone shot I have full range of motion and no pain. I am regaining my strength daily.”
Stacie had nothing but high praise for Ben’s tenacity and commitment to his treatment plan. Stacie says, “He was very diligent with his physical therapy and home therapy and is now back to full and painless range of motion.”
As for Ben, he wrote: “I would like to thank Stacie for the time she took with me and being gentle with the shot. She took her time and explained all my concerns.”
Patient of the Month is a new initiative where we highlight success stories within our patient community. There’s always too many to choose, but we’re grateful for the opportunity to have come alongside Ben for his orthopedic challenges and look forward to serving more folks like him!
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