Mike Schultz

My experience with Dr. Steve K. Lee was nothing short of extraordinary from beginning to end. I want to share my story as my sincere hope is that someone else who was in a similar situation as me will read this and make the wise (and potentially life-changing) choice to consult Dr. Lee and the HSS team.

By way of background, I injured my dominant wrist swinging a bat and waited several months to have it examined - believing that it would heal on its own. When it stopped improving, I consulted a well-respected, local doctor who, after ordering an MRI, advised me that I had a partial tear of my scapholunate ligament.

He told me that my treatment options were relatively limited, which was disappointing to hear as an active 44-year old who has played sports my entire life. The options he mentioned ranged from non-surgical (which would almost certainly result in arthritis) to surgical (which he described as very difficult for my injury). He mentioned that relatively few doctors have extensive experience performing scapholunate ligament repairs and that, essentially, I was in a tough spot. I vividly recall him looking at me and saying “I don’t really know what to tell you. It’s a difficult injury. I’m sorry.”

Very disappointed and unsure about what to do, I began researching. I quickly came across HSS (which I was already familiar with) and then Dr. Lee. To be honest, I wasn't sure that the Chief of the Hand and Upper Extremity Service at the most prestigious orthopedic hospital in the world would be available to help me. I decided that I had nothing to lose and reached out to his office. To my surprise, I was able to get an appointment quickly. When I met with Dr. Lee (along with my wife), I could tell just how impressive he is. He had a remarkably detailed understanding of my injury and showed me in a patient and educational manner why my partial tear was, in fact, a complete tear and that, as a result, the bones in my wrist had come out of alignment.

He discussed both surgical and non-surgical options with me and walked through the pros and cons of each. He candidly told me that my injury was complex with different types of surgical approaches, none of which was perfect. It was evident to me based on my appointment with Dr. Lee and discussions with his very knowledgeable physician assistant, Justin Aives, that scapholunate tears were something that Dr. Lee and his colleagues were highly adept at treating - and a topic that they discussed frequently. After giving my treatment options some thought, I took Dr. Lee and Justin up on their offer for a follow-up call. I asked several additional questions about the surgery, which Dr. Lee answered in a straightforward and thoughtful manner.

I decided to move forward with the surgery knowing that the recovery would be at least 6 months and would involve pins that had to be removed. While nervous about what was to come, I felt comfortable knowing that I was (literally) in the best hands possible.

The 2 ½ hour surgery went incredibly well. The pain management regimen was excellent – I do not recall experiencing any significant pain in the days following the surgery (although I know some may doubt that). While my hand was swollen and I had a cast up to my elbow, I was gradually healing. I was comforted in my early follow-up visits knowing that the x-rays showed much improved alignment in my bones and that Dr. Lee was pleased with my recovery (although there was plenty more healing to be done). Each follow-up visit brought me increased happiness about my decision to operate. Dr. Lee gave me clear instruction about physical therapy (including to be patient and not overdo it), which I closely followed.

I am just about 1 year post-surgery and my wrist is feeling great. I have no pain whatsoever and I am able to lift, pull, push and twist without any discomfort. While I will always need to be cognizant of how I’m using my wrist, I could not be more pleased with how it feels today. If you ask me, it’s a modern-day miracle.

For anyone considering treatment on their wrist, I cannot recommend Dr. Lee and the team at HSS highly enough. Dr. Lee is candid, clear, thoughtful, highly skilled and kind. He also has a nice sense of humor, which doesn't hurt. It is evident to me how much he cares about what the work he is doing – both from a research perspective and practical perspective. Dr. Lee truly had a major impact on my life – enabling me full use of my dominant hand and helping me to reduce the likelihood of arthritis in the future. I could not have asked for a better result. I will be forever grateful.