Christine J.

I can’t say enough for Dr. Dena Barsoum, Emily Cutler, PT, DPT, Dr. Barsoum’s staff, the HSS Rehabilitation staff, the nurses, intake and all other staff at the HSS Special Procedures Unit, the Radiology staff, the front desk staff and any other staff I’ve been in contact with over the years for lumbar, knee, ankle and cervical issues I have developed from intense athletics in my younger days! Dr. Barsoum has created a current day bionic woman! With treatments, I am able to sleep through the night without being awake with pain. I learned I was compensating for pain in knees, back and neck by altering my movement and had to basically learn how to walk and move properly again to prevent frequent trips and falls. In fact, on my second visit to Dr. Barsoum/first visit to PT (for knees), I lost balance (compensating for pain) and fell down a complete flight of steps - luckily just badly spraining my ankle. With Dr. Barsoum’s bilateral knee injections twice a year and the PT which trained me how to move about without tripping to compensate for pain, I have a long-term plan to manage the pain in my knees. As for the disaster that is my back, Dr. Barsoum’s ablation blocks and the daily exercises Emily Cutler taught me in PT give me a long-term treatment plan which greatly improves my quality of life. My back would lock up doing practically anything and I used to fall frequently because of the back pain. Forget about sleeping more than a couple hours or the time it would take to visit my parents because I couldn’t sit in the car for very long. I also had a great deal of neck pain and mobility issues and with the help of physical therapy and daily exercises, I can manage pain and have better mobility. Dr. Barsoum and Emily have been so patient with me and teach me the anatomy behind what is causing my pain. They take all the time I need to treat all my ailments and have greatly improved my physical impairments. I realize my pain issues are chronic and life-long and know I have care providers who have developed an ongoing plan to help me manage my conditions, Dr. Barsoum, Emily Cutler and all of the staff at HSS truly care about me as an individual and exemplify what a hospital awarded Magnet status is all about.