Mark Bloom

I was born with a severe dislocated hip. As it was explained to me, I was born missing a hip socket. I underwent a series of surgeries between the ages of 2 and 13 which enabled me to walk; though one leg was shorter than the other. My doctor told me that my affected hip would eventually become arthritic and need to be replaced. He also said that my case was a difficult one and I should look for a very good orthopedist to perform the hip replacement. By the time I reached my mid thirties the pain in the hip was so bad I began to use a cane. Since I was living on Long Island I was hoping for treatment at Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Sculco had been recommended to me and I was relieved that he would carry out my surgery. Dr. Sculco told me that on a difficulty scale of 1 to 10 he mostly operated on patients who were 4s or 5s. I was a 9 and should not compare myself to others having hip replacements. The surgery went well. I was in the hospital for 10 days and my recovery seemed to take a long time. The outcome was wonderful, however. My pain disappeared and I even limped less than before. I was able to be active again. I wish I could say that today I'm more active than ever but the truth is I have gained a lot of weight over the years, which of course is bad for my replaced hip. Still, I am happy to report that the hip joint continues to hold up well and I am pain free.

I feel fortunate indeed to have had Dr. Sculco perform my surgery and to have been given such competent and compassionate care at Hospital for Special Surgery.