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Patient Story of: Dawn Versakos
Brooklyn, NY
Partial Knee Replacement
Dr. Gausden was truly a godsend, and I highly recommend her.
Years ago, I tore my meniscus. During my first surgery, at another hospital, most of the meniscus was removed rather than repaired. I completed physical therapy and healed, but the small amount of meniscus that remained tore further. The outer side of my knee collapsed and became bone on bone, which pushed my knee out of alignment. My leg looked noticeably different, and my pain kept growing, keeping me from the things I enjoy.
This time, I chose HSS and began my journey with Dr. James Robinson. We started with conservative steps, including physical therapy and eventually a gel injection. Unfortunately, I had a rare reaction to the injection that left me in severe pain, so I was ready to talk about surgery again.
That's when I met Dr. Elizabeth Gausden. She was confident and knowledgeable, and I finally felt I was in good hands. Further testing showed I was a good candidate for a partial knee replacement because the rest of my knee had little to no arthritis.
I was hesitant at first. I thought a total knee replacement might be the better choice because I didn't want this hanging over my head any longer. Dr. Gausden patiently and thoroughly explained everything, shared her professional opinion and left the final decision to me.
I followed her recommendation and had a robotic-assisted partial knee replacement on September 2, 2026. It went beautifully. I am healing well, I already have excellent range of motion and I'm on my way to being Back in the Game. The surgery and recovery exceeded my expectations. Dr. Gausden was truly a godsend, and I highly recommend her.
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