Patient Testimonials

Laura Kielczewski, New York, NY — hip resurfacing
I have been extremely athletic since I was a teen and played alot of rough sports. I studied karate for 13 years, I boxed for 13 years which included alot of running, and then played soccer for almost 4 years -- alot of repetitive movement and high impact on the joints. Several years ago (at the age of 41), I was stretching at the gym after a good workout and felt something "pop" in my groin area. It didn't reallly hurt at the time and so I continued about my day, walking around, shopping, etc., a typical Saturday afternoon. I went to sleep later that evening and at some point in the middle of the night, I woke up in agonizing pain, unable to move my leg. I was in excruciating pain for a few days before I went to a doctor to see what was wrong. more

Laura Kielczewski, New York, NY — hip resurfacing
I have been extremely athletic since I was a teen and played alot of rough sports. I studied karate for 13 years, I boxed for 13 years which included alot of running, and then played soccer for almost 4 years -- alot of repetitive movement and high impact on the joints. Several years ago (at the age of 41), I was stretching at the gym after a good workout and felt something "pop" in my groin area. It didn't reallly hurt at the time and so I continued about my day, walking around, shopping, etc., a typical Saturday afternoon. I went to sleep later that evening and at some point in the middle of the night, I woke up in agonizing pain, unable to move my leg. I was in excruciating pain for a few days before I went to a doctor to see what was wrong. less

To make a long story short, I was misdiagnosed by numerous doctors for about a year (one doctor told me I had too many birthdays, one doctor told me it was all in my head, another doctor thought it was tendonitis and wrote a prescription, told me to rest for 6 weeks, and then come back and see him). I also tried a chiropractor, massage, physical therapy --- nothing seemed to work or fix it.

I limped around for about a year before I went to HSS for xrays. As soon as I saw Dr. Boettner, he knew right away it was my hip based on his physical exam, listening to my explanation of symptoms, and watching me walk. The xrays and MRI confirmed his diagnosis. We tried a "conservative" fix in 2007 and I scheduled surgery to repair a torn labrum and underwent microfracture in the hopes of generating repair cartilage for the arthritis and cartilage loss in my right hip. I also had very large osteophytes causing impingment. The surgery was successful but I was unable to resume full athletic actvities and decided after three years to undergo a hip resurfacing with Dr. Boettner. (I wanted Dr. Boettner to make me bionic.) The hip resurfacing was a success and I was discharged from the hospital two days after surgery.

Within a couple weeks, I was on a stationary bicycle to regain range of motion. Two months after surgery, I resumed all physical activities. I am now almost five months post surgery and have been pain free ever since. While I am not quite "bionic", I was able to return to all impact activities. I am not able to run as fast as I used to and I do not have the same range of motion as I do with my natural hip, but I am pain free and forever grateful to Dr. Boettner and HSS for correctly diagnosing my problem and fixing it.