Nicole Puoplo

I was a competitive soccer player for 12 years of my life, and I had the intention to play in college. My soccer career ended during a game in my junior year of high school. The goalie slide tackled me; and left me with a torn PCL, LCL, and meniscus that ripped completely off the bone. The surgeons I had seen prior to being referred to Doctor DiFelice have not seen such a rare injury as mine. I went to one of the best orthopedics in Long Island, and he felt that I needed to see someone who was more familiar with handling a knee injury with such complexity. He directed me to a world renowned orthopedic surgeon at Lenox Hill, and I was scheduled for a multi-stage (4-6 hour) surgery that would have entailed reconstructing all three torn ligaments with cadavers. Just two days before the surgery, the surgeon from Lenox Hill said that he and his colleagues felt it would be best to have Dr. DiFelice repair my injured knee. He believed Dr. DiFelice had the most experience and expertise in dealing with traumatic injuries like mine.

Dr. DiFelice knew exactly how to handle my injury, and I was fascinated by his unique approach to orthopedic surgery. He sought to save the ligaments I had and repair them rather than reconstruct them. Such a procedure is much less evasive and leads to a tremendously speedier recovery than reconstructive surgery.

In less than two short hours, Dr. DiFelice performed the surgery arthroscopically through four tiny incisions. He performed a PCL and a meniscal root repair, in which my torn meniscal ligament was reattached to the bone.

It is nearly three years later; and I can honestly say that I am pain free! I usually forget that I ever had the injury. My recovery was short, and I was able to bring my knee back to the condition it was prior to the injury.

Although I am no longer playing soccer, I never stopped pushing myself in physical fitness. I joined Orange Theory (a gym similar to Crossfit), I use just about every aerobic machine at my other gym (ellipticals, rowing machines, steppers, and bikes), and I partake in many plyometric and leg exercises.

Moreover, I am running faster miles than I ever had in my life. I run 5ks and 10ks quite often. The injury has taught me to take care of my body and train “smartly” to prevent future injury. I try to stretch more and limit my running to 4 days a week while I cross-train on the other days.

Dr. DiFelice saved my knee. He is in a league of his own as he moves towards his own ingenious approach of repairing ligaments rather than following the old school approach of reconstructing ligaments. If you prefer to avoid primitive and barbaric open knee surgery, I recommend you give Dr. DiFelice a try. He is a leader in his industry and is changing the world of orthopedics one patient at a time.