Joint Replacement During Pandemic? Long Island Dad Says "Yes" So He Can Dance at Daughter's Wedding
John Schieck wanted to dance at his daughter’s wedding, and he wasn’t going to let the pandemic stop him. But his severely arthritic hip was another matter. So, when the Long Island resident learned he could schedule a hip replacement when elective surgeries resumed at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), he didn’t hesitate. Before the pandemic, he had a knee replacement at HSS. In May of this year, he came to see me for a regular follow-up exam. Mr. Schieck’s knee was fine, but his hip pain and gotten much worse. He had trouble sleeping at night and found himself limping at work. Mr. Schieck, who is 65, went ahead with hip replacement surgery at HSS in June, and two months later, he attended his daughter’s wedding. “My hip pain was gone. I danced with my daughter, my wife, my friends. I was a ‘dancing machine’,” he recalled. For others suffering from arthritis pain who are reluctant to schedule surgery, HSS has instituted extensive precautions to ensure that patients, visito...