Stefan Laporte

I was a former professional tennis player. I played for Clemson University and used my dual citizen status to play on the Dutch Davis Cup squad. I also played soccer left footed and played basketball and developed numerous ankle sprains throughout the years. I have been the Director of Tennis at numerous private Clubs on the East Coast and currently the Director of Tennis at the Maidstone Club in East Hampton, NY.

Three years ago, my left ankle started to hurt and I could not sleep peacefully at night. Every time I turned over, I would feel pains in my left ankle. I tried PT, cortisone shots, PRP therapy and numerous braces that just did not relieve the pain. Last year, I decided to check out HSS from friends that went to this hospital for consultations and picked out Dr. D. From the moment I met him, I knew he was my surgeon for this ankle replacement. His knowledge, friendly manner and description of what happened and what needed to be done was very reassuring.

I scheduled the surgery for April 4th (2018) and the procedure lasted for 3 hours with everything precisely on time with no complications. It was so easy. I stayed 2 nights at HSS and rented a room nearby at a residence hotel for a month for my recovery since flying home to Florida was out of the question due to the possibility of blood clots. My only complication was that my incision took longer to heal than expected as I had to stay an extra week but the care I was offered by Dr. D was exceptional. His office and staff are top notch, and Dr. D’s skills are impressive beyond belief.

I did PT therapy 3 times a week and did all the exercises at home. I was back at work physically after 2 months ( no cast or boot); teaching after 3 months; resumed indoor spinning classes back to my highest levels; and now just after 5 months, completed over 30,000 vertical feet hiking in Idaho in just over a two week period. No pain or discomfort whatsoever. I still have numbness that will dissipate in the next 6 months, but I can sleep at night peacefully.

Thank you Dr. D for your care, courtesy, confidence and professionalism. I can even go through TSA checkpoints with no alarms going off. HSS has been an incredible experience that I highly recommend for anyone so that they can go back and enjoy sports again at a very high level.