Matt Graham

Back in 2020, I tore my ACL in a skiing accident. Post the injury, and as a matter of approach, I solicited opinions from no less than 5 different orthopedists about an appropriate course of action to remediate the injury with an eye towards getting back to my favorite winter sport: Skiing. Almost unanimously, I was told that I needed a total reconstruction of my ACL (left knee), even though I had a good deal of stability in the knee. Upon further research, I came across HSS and Dr. Gregory DiFelice, and was immediately intrigued with his approach centered around trying to save torn ligaments to the extent possible, not just defaulting to the reconstruction route. I came out of my first consult with Dr. DiFelice with further affirmation that he was the orthopedist for me as he did not, unlike the other doctors, try to steer me in the direction of a full ACL reconstruction. Instead, he proposed options for different courses of action that could be taken based upon his findings during the operation, with a major tenet being preservation of the ligament (if possible). Post-surgery, I was thrilled to hear that I only needed minimal clean-up of some scar tissue and some minor meniscus clean up. Fast forward 4 years and I'm happy to say that my knee is still going strong and holding up nicely to the rigors of skiing, and the best thing I can say is I don't even think about it when I'm skiing. I would like to add a big thanks to Dr. DiFelice and the staff at HSS for the great care and attention I received.