The deterioration of my right knee and need for surgery was rapid. At just 49, my knee was collapsing from arthritis and it was evident that I would soon loose the ability to walk. Walking just one block was excruciatingly painful and brought me to tears. ME! Miss independent! My cousin, a spinal surgeon, highly recommended Dr. Michael Alexiades with HSS. I could not be more pleased with the outcome. I worked hard in the months before surgery. I knew that going in strong could only help me come out strong. This was true. Also true was that I had an excellent surgeon who operates in an exquisite hospital. The level of caring and commitment to patient care and follow up is stellar. Truly, it is a struggle for me to express what a positive experience having a total knee replacement at HSS was for me. My TKR surgery has made me whole again, free from pain, back at the gym, working, and living my life. I regret only that I didn't know there was no reason to be afraid to have the tkr surgery. I lost a lot of sleep and worried too much needlessly.