Double Trouble

Many people find the idea of having surgery intimidating. But when Nancy was faced with needing two surgical repairs – one to her knee and one to her shoulder – she had twice as much to worry about.

She hoped to have both surgeries performed on the same day; fortunately, she'd found a hospital with the expertise to match her ambition. Familiar with White Plains Hospital's maternity department through the delivery of her three children, she knew where to go after living for five years with shoulder pain from a skating accident, compounded by a recent knee injury suffered on a tennis court.

Nancy came to the Hospital for an MRI and a meeting with sports medicine specialist Dr. Michael Schwartz. He quickly diagnosed a tear to her lateral meniscus, a semicircular piece of cartilage outside the knee joint, and a rotator cuff whose tear had been exacerbated by years of continued use and abuse following her skating spill.

A Personalized Approach

Though initially hesitant to perform both surgeries in a single session – normally at least some recovery time between procedures is recommended – Dr. Schwartz consented when his patient explained that she was a yoga teacher. "If I don't work, I don't get paid," she notes.

"He said, ‘You're healthy, in good shape, and you're a strong person. You should do very well,'" Nancy adds. "He was willing to work with me based on my needs."

"We treat our patients with a highly individualized approach, and that plays a big role in positive outcomes," Dr. Schwartz says, "and I knew how motivated she was."

The surgeries, mostly done arthroscopically, were done on an outpatient basis, and Nancy walked out of the Hospital — no crutches, no cane — that same afternoon. She successfully rehabbed both surgery sites at essentially the same time, and within a few months she was back at work, and on the tennis court, full time.

"If you're feeling pain, don't tough it out. Get it looked at," Nancy says. "I shouldn't have waited so long, but I'm really glad Dr. Schwartz and White Plains Hospital were able to fix me."