Patient Stories - Josh

Josh's Story

Josh writes, “I have been bowlegged since going through a growth spurt during my middle school years. It never really negatively impacted my life. I wasn't self conscious about my legs and I suffered no ill effects physically. I was able to run and play sports with the best. However, in 2007 I turned 30 years old and while playing a soccer match suffered a torn meniscus in my right knee. It was the first ever injury I had suffered to my knees. I underwent a meniscectomy and went back to normal activities. In 2008, I began noticing significant pain on the inside of my knees while running. I still had plenty left in life that I wanted to do that required me to be in peak physical condition and I wasn't willing to give up on those dreams because of knee pain. I began to look for solutions.

Quite by accident, while researching possible solutions on the internet, I stumbled across Dr. Fragomen's website and read about people who had various lower leg problems that he had treated. It was the first time I began to realize that the shape of my legs might be contributing to my knee pain. I began to email Dr. Fragomen almost daily with questions and pictures of my legs. I was always impressed with the speed of his responses and the time he took to explain the process. Immediately, I recognized he had a unique expertise that enabled him to solve leg problems that other doctors would deem unsolvable. There is truly no one else I would've trusted to do this procedure.

Living in Louisiana, one big concern to me was the logistics of undergoing surgery in New York. However, Dr. Fragomen went out of his way to accommodate my individual needs and I went into the process with the utmost confidence and trust in him as a professional. His office was more than helpful in answering my questions and coordinating appointments and treatments. Earline Marchan was especially helpful in answering all my insurance/payment questions and coordinating approval for the procedure and timing all my appointments so I would have to make as few trips to New York as possible. While in New York, I was instantly put at ease and every one of the staff members and nurses was extremely helpful and kind.

I had my first surgery in March 2009, the tibia and femur of my left leg were re-aligned with external fixators which I wore for almost four months. It was a tough few weeks following the procedure but I was back to work within a week of surgery and the last two months I was moving around and walking pretty well. In July 2009, I made another trip to New York to have the fixators in my left leg taken out and have the tibia of my right leg straightened...more pain but more optimism as I saw how well the left leg had turned out. In November 2009, I coordinated with Dr. Fragomen to have the fixator on my right leg removed locally in Louisiana, which saved me a trip back to New York. Again, Dr. Fragomen's willingness to accommodate my needs and his flexibility in coordinating with other doctors was yet another testament to his professionalism and his genuine concern for his 333 patient's desires.

Once I was free of my "hardware" it was amazing how quickly I regained muscle mass in my legs and got back to normal physical activities. I'm now three months out from having my last fixator removed and am extremely happy with the results. I "CrossFit" on a regular basis which involves doing workouts made up of running, Olympic lifting and gymnastics. I have begun running again and have NO knee pain. As my physical training has increased I've noticed increased flexibility, better range of motion and the biomechanics of my running has markedly improved. It's been a long year but I truly believe it was all worth it and knowing what I know now, I would do it all over again. I cannot thank Dr. Fragomen enough for the incredible job that he did and for giving me the ability to pursue my dreams. He is truly a remarkable physician and his work has had a significant impact on my life. To him and his team, my sincerest thanks for a job well done.”