Emily Eschner

I broke and shattered my leg in 2012. I was 18-years-old and an avid equestrian. I rode horses competitively all over New England. I took a fall on a September morning and was devastated when I bit happened. I had multiple reconstructive surgeries in Connecticut over a few years and just kept struggling. I was in a ton of pain and couldn’t really get off crutches. After 3 surgeries I was losing hope and was told I just had to learn to live with it. I was young and ambitious to get back into the saddle and called my mom crying after a check up with the doctor. I told her that this was it and that I had to deal with it. I wasn’t going to get better. I got off the phone and she immediately started making calls for suggestions. We were told to go to HSS. I had started with Dr. Levine and eventually moved to Dr. Rozbruch, who performed an ankle distraction. It was a life changing experiencing and really helped with the deformity in my ankle. Even though I still had pain, we were heading in the right direction and it was actually pointing forward again! I had a few operations and a few years later ended up with Dr. Ellis. I initially went in thinking ankle replacement because I just wanted to be pain-free. I could barely walk and for me, most importantly, I couldn’t ride. I was starting to get depressed as riding was my life and I couldn’t handle the pain. After discussing my options with Dr. Ellis, we opted for the ankle fusion. I was so nervous and it was by far the most painful surgery I have had, but it was so worth it. I am just about a year out and I still am getting used to it but it’s a game changer. I can walk better than I have in years, my foot isn’t deformed, I can ride without pain and I’m just so much happier!