Joe Cuoco

I must first reveal that not only am I patient of Dr Cordasco, but I am also the Associate Director for Hospital for Special Surgery. My story starts back in May of 2012 when Dr. Cordasco diagnosed a partial rotator cuff tear which was treated conservatively with anti-inflammatory medication, rest and physical therapy. Not being one who likes to “go under the knife”, this conservative approach allowed me to delay surgery for an additional three years. Of course if I had had a conservative approach to life, I would of probably been able to avoid surgery altogether, but, staying “in the game” allows me to enjoy my favorite things; kayaking, biking and cross-country skiing. My passion in my spare time is instructing and conducting snowshoeing tours at Stratton Mountain as well as kayaking for the Hackensack Riverkeeper Paddling Centers. After 3 years the conservative approach wasn’t working anymore. Just prior to my surgery date, I had a planned trip to New Hampshire which included zip-lining. As I contemplated the rationality of swinging in the tree tops, I decided to contact the office expecting to get my justification to avoid this insane activity. As I posed the question to Dr. Cordasco expecting a response like “just how foolish are you? Stay on the ground!”, instead I got the “go ahead, have fun, if you cause more damage I CAN FIX IT”. That is the confidence I want to hear from my orthopedic surgeon…..I am now approaching 12 weeks post-op, doing great and looking forward to cross-country skiing season.