Christina McNamara-Schmidt

As a competitive triathlete, I developed high hamstring pain in 2015. After failed conservative therapy, I opted for surgery. Continued pain post-op led me to Dr. Struan Coleman, who identified that an esoteric presentation of hip impingement contributed to my persisting issues. With hip scopes on the schedule, further investigation revealed a rare orthopedic infection from my previous hamstring repair that was not performed at HSS. Dr. Coleman assertively pulled together a skilled group of physicians at HSS to address the infection, including Dr. Andy Miller with infectious disease, and Drs. Daniel Osei and Andrew Weiland to address scarring around my sciatic nerve. These gifted physicians managed to surgically clean out the infection and remove metallic anchors to help my body heal, all while preserving the integrity of my hamstring tendons. Other well-respected institutions told me the hamstring repair would be dismantled and not revised. I truly believe that HSS is the only hospital in the U.S. that has the specialties to comprehensively address these orthopedic issues in an athlete. I have some challenges to overcome to cure the infection, and I may have hip scopes with Dr. Coleman before officially getting ‘Back in the Game’. However, I’m eternally grateful to Dr. Coleman for identifying the sources of my pain, collaborating with others at HSS, and forming this fabulous team to help me move forward!