Dorine Peregrim

Big cities can be intimidating to me. So when I made arrangements to travel to NYC from my small hometown in the Adirondack Mountains, I must admit that I was a bit nervous! I had no idea what to expect for my appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in such a big city. I was referred to HSS because I was having difficulty with my knee. I had a total knee replacement in 2009 and did not have good range of motion outcomes. I was lacking 25 degrees of extension and could only flex my knee to 95, which was not functional for my active lifestyle. I had several manipulations under anesthesia and open knee scopes to remove scar tissue with hopes to gain more range of motion, but nothing had lasting results. My knee was so stiff all of the time which just made me so miserable on a daily basis. I felt comfortable and at ease. My surgeon had reviewed my history prior to the appointment and did a very thorough examination of my knee. He advised me that half of his practice was revision of total knee replacements and that he treats stiffness very aggressively. He recommended a revision due to my limited range of motion which was dysfunctional for my active lifestyle. He explained the type of knee he uses for revisions and did not make me feel like, "just another knee replacement" patient. He answered several questions that I had following the appointment and I gained confidence and assurance that he would be my surgeon.

My experience at Hospital for Special Surgery was very positive. Although I was only there for 2 nights, I found all of the staff to be extremely friendly and competent. I came out of surgery with a perfectly straight knee which was a dream come true. I had very little pain and swelling following the surgery and was able to return to my full time job in 2 months. My surgeon has been sincerely interested in my recovery and has made himself available for questions and concerns since the surgery. He is very supportive of my active lifestyle which includes long distance cycling, hiking, tennis, Nordic skiing, running and more. I was able to start Nordic skiing just 2 1/2 months following surgery and my knee performs well on all the steep hills in Lake Placid. He is an extremely talented surgeon with a wonderful personality and I would highly recommend him to anyone considering knee surgery. His office staff (Selina and Lauren) are also very friendly and were very helpful in scheduling my surgery and follow up appointments.