Valeh Levy

I can’t say enough about the gratitude I feel for Dr. Alexander McLawhorn and the team at HSS Orthopedics with Stamford Health for restoring my ability to walk, skip, hop, squat, climb stairs, hike mountains, ride a bicycle, haul literally tons of landscaping materials, carry any amount of weight, and live a normal life free of pain. Every single day, I give thanks to Dr. McLawhorn for restoring my mobility. I was a very sporty outdoorswoman who spent most of my time after work, running, biking, surfing, playing tennis, skiing, doing massive amounts of landscaping of my children’s barren elementary school, etc. In my early fifties, I developed bilateral hip osteoarthritis which I tried to heal using every natural, non-pharmaceutical method out there, but I was progressively losing the battle which left me losing one sporty activity after another until at the age of 62, I was requiring hiking poles just to walk anywhere without a horrible gait and limp, and took up painting to maintain my sanity. With my occupation as a radiologist, where I’ve read so many x-rays of joint replacements and have studied all the outcomes, good and bad, I dreaded the thought of one day requiring bilateral hip replacements. But I needed help and so, I searched for the best orthopedic hospital and team, which led me to HSS because of the outstanding reputation of this hospital system. When I watched and listened to an HSS video panel discussion on joint replacement with several HSS physicians, it was Dr. McLawhorn’s discussion that finally put my mind at ease. Maybe it was his calm demeanor during the talk that gave me the gut instinct to set up an appointment for an evaluation. My husband, also a radiologist, and I travelled from Florida to HSS in New York to meet with Dr. McLawhorn. I was immediately put at ease with his calm and patient bedside manner answering all of my nervous and fearful questions thoughtfully and non-judgmentally. I felt very confident that I was in the presence of an excellent surgeon and my fears were lifted and hope was restored. My husband was also very confident that we were in the presence of a very special physician and said right there, that if he ever needed a joint replacement, he would choose Dr. McLawhorn without hesitation. HSS Orthopedics with Stamford Health was my chosen hospital for both surgeries and the well organized, well communicated, patient-centered approach to pre-op, surgery, and post-op care is the gold standard for orthopedic care in my personal and professional opinion.

The surgical and nursing teams were exceptional as were all of the staff at HSS. What really helped heal those hip replacements after discharge was the guidance of a detailed “post-op instruction manual” that Dr. McLawhorn prepared for his patients. This was my bible and along with a very healthy diet and strict daily ice therapy for several months. For patients who may want an extra boost, I used a pre-op pool hip PT program and at six weeks post op, resumed this hip pool PT program for healing hips, which I will continue to do for the rest of my life. This pool hip PT program is taught in a book titled “Heal Your Hips” written by an HSS trained orthopedic surgeon, Robert Klapper, MD, and his pool workout therapy coauthor Linda Huey. My body responded wonderfully well to both hip replacements. which were spaced two years apart, and now at the age of 65, I have no pain and have been able to share so many joyful travel adventures once again with my husband and adult children. With every step I take, every day, I give gratitude to Dr. McLawhorn for his dedication to his surgical career and his excellent care for his patients.

I would like to reassure anyone needing a joint replacement to consider choosing an HSS physician who resonates with them, because having had two surgeries in the HSS hospital system and as a physician, I can state with confidence that the system at HSS is the gold standard of care for orthopedic surgery.