Stephen Machnicki

I will be forever grateful for the medical care that I received from Dr. Gregory DiFelice.

My problems began when I suffered a shoulder dislocation as a teenager. After recovering from that injury, I continued to participate in many sports, including competitive swimming, tennis, softball, and weightlifting. By my 40th birthday, I was cursed with the early onset of advanced shoulder arthritis.

As a doctor at a hospital on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, I was fortunate to be able to seek care from several of the top orthopedic surgeons in the area. One after the other told me that my only option was total shoulder replacement, which felt like a drastic intervention for a person of my age. As a father of a one-year-old, and with another child on the way, I thought that such a major surgery would be a significant burden on my growing family, not to mention that I feared it would mean the end of my participation in sports.

Then I met with Dr. DiFelice. Greg took the time to listen to and understand my concerns. He was the only one of the five leading shoulder surgeons that I saw who offered me an option other than total shoulder replacement. Though there were no guarantees, I chose to put my care in Dr. DiFelice’s hands. He performed a minimally invasive, arthroscopic procedure that resulted in the dramatic improvement in my symptoms. Greg bought me 10+ years that allowed me to play with my young children, to lift weights and stay in shape, and to actively participate in many sports.

My experience as a patient of Dr. DiFelice was amazing. I completely trust him and give him my highest recommendation as an orthopedic surgeon.