While playing professional soccer for the New York Red Bulls in 2008, I began experiencing severe knee pain towards the end of the regular season. Unfortunately, my season ended prematurely, but the Red Bulls made a run to the MLS Cup Final. After accepting the fact that my season was over, I immediately sought the opinion of Dr. Riley Williams, our Team Orthopedic Surgeon, from Hospital for Special Surgery.
From start to finish, my experience at HSS was nothing but first class. Beginning with the imagery appointments to diagnose the injury/condition, Dr. Riley Williams was informative and empathetic to what I was experiencing. While it wasn't 100% clear what was wrong with my knee, Dr. Williams laid out a variety of probable issues that may be causing the chronic pain.
As we went into surgery, Dr. Williams openly communicated what his plan of action was and the steps that would be taken depending on what he uncovered in surgery. As it turned out, there were a few unexpected issues that weren't obvious through the x-ray and MRI prior to surgery. Fortunately, Dr. Williams was well prepared, and ultimately performed a meniscectomy and determined the lower portion of my femur had degraded from a minor bone bruise to needing a partial repair. In the end, Dr. Williams utilized protein plugs, which were a relatively new advancement in medicine, to replace the damaged portion of the lower femur.
The recovery process went as planned and in a matter of months I was back playing with the New York Red Bulls. I consider myself very fortunate to have been under the care of Dr. Williams and the entire HSS staff. While I hope to not need their services in the future, if I should have any issues, I will absolutely be returning to HSS. Thanks again!
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