Laura Kielczewski New York, NY

I have been extremely athletic since I was a teen and played a lot of rough sports. I studied karate for 13 years, I boxed for 13 years which included a lot of running, and then played soccer for almost 4 years -- a lot of repetitive movement and high impact on the joints. Several years ago (at the age of 41), I was stretching at the gym after a good workout and felt something "pop" in my groin area. It didn't really hurt at the time and so I continued about my day, walking around, shopping, etc., a typical Saturday afternoon. I went to sleep later that evening and at some point in the middle of the night, I woke up in agonizing pain, unable to move my leg. I was in excruciating pain for a few days before I went to a doctor to see what was wrong. To make a long story short, I was misdiagnosed by numerous doctors for about a year (one doctor told me I had too many birthdays, one doctor told me it was all in my head, another doctor thought it was tendonitis and wrote a prescription, told me to rest for 6 weeks, and then come back and see him). I also tried a chiropractor, massage, physical therapy - - nothing seemed to work or fix it. I limped around for about a year before I went to HSS for x-rays. As soon as I saw Dr. Boettner, he knew right away it was my hip based on his physical exam, listening to my explanation of symptoms, and watching me walk. The x-rays and MRI confirmed his diagnosis. We tried a "conservative" fix in 2007 and I scheduled surgery to repair a torn labrum and underwent microfracture in the hopes of generating repair cartilage for the arthritis and cartilage loss in my right hip. I also had very large osteophytes causing impingement. The surgery was successful but I was unable to resume full athletic activities and decided after three years to undergo a hip resurfacing with Dr. Boettner. (I wanted Dr. Boettner to make me bionic.) The hip resurfacing was a success and I was discharged from the hospital two days after surgery. Within a couple weeks, I was on a stationary bicycle to regain range of motion. Two months after surgery, I resumed all physical activities. I am now almost five months post surgery and have been pain free ever since. While I am not quite "bionic", I was able to return to all impact activities. I am not able to run as fast as I used to and I do not have the same range of motion as I do with my natural hip, but I am pain free and forever grateful to Dr. Boettner and HSS for correctly diagnosing my problem and fixing it. I have recommended Dr. Boettner and HSS to several colleagues and my boss had undergone a full hip replacement with Dr. Boettner two months ago. My entire experience over the years at HSS has always been pleasurable - from the staff in Dr. Boettner's office, to the staff in the lab facilities, to the physical therapists, to the nurses - everyone I have dealt with has been courteous, friendly, knowledgeable and truly concerned for my health, well-being and recovery. I now know first-hand why HSS is ranked #1 across the country in orthopedics.