Peter Sklar

I researched hip surgeons carefully before making an appointment to see Dr. Alex McLawhorn at HSS. I have never had major surgery before, and frankly I was terrified. When Dr. McLawhorn suggested I was a candidate for bilateral hip surgery, I exclaimed in fear: "Both hips at the same time?" That said, my terror was somewhat mitigated by my condition. I had been in severe pain trying to accomplish something that vaguely resembled "walking" for nearly two years. Chronically doubled over a walker, I had been unable to use the lavatory, shower, sit up or down, get in or out of bed, get dressed, travel in or out of the house, or pretty much anything else without severe effort, pain, and time. I knew I was weeks away from a permanent wheelchair and that fixing this was a now-or-never thing. Flash-forward: It's been three months almost to the day since my surgery. Words cannot describe how it feels to be walking normally again, without pain, and with minimal effort. I cannot adequately praise Dr. McLawhorn and the staff at HSS for what I consider a near-miraculous transformation. Every step of the way, (pardon the pun)- preparation, tests, the surgery, post-surgery, rehab, and follow-up visits- has been done expertly with the greatest care and attention, and the results are quite literally perfect. I am myself again. Thank you, Dr. McLawhorn and thank you, HSS. Choosing you both was one of the very best decisions I have ever made in my 68 years. Most telling is the before & after video I provided. The first portion was shot the day before my surgery, and you’ll notice it takes me four and a half minutes of painful struggle to travel about 15 yards from my car to my house. The second portion was shot three months later, and walking the same 15 yards took me 30 seconds.