Patient Testimonials
Barbara
Annandale
Knee Replacement
Dennis
Amissville
Total Hip Replacement
Blanca
Leesburg
Bilateral Hip Replacement
Sarah
Burke
Fractured Elbow
Ca'Dell
Reston
Achilles Repair
Carolyn
Alexandria
Bilateral Hip and
Knee Replacements
Hisham
Reston
ACL Repair
Brian
Herndon
Torn Biceps Tendon
John
Springfield
Spine Surgery
Hiko
Fairfax
Detached Thumb Ligament
Matthew
Fairfax
Shoulder Repair
CourtneyMcLean
Fractured Leg
Lisa
Centreville
Minimally Invasive
Spine Surgery
Maurice
Clifton
Osteoarthritis
Maureen
Oak Hill
Non-Surgical
Pain Management
Brian
Reston
Minimally Invasive
Total Hip Replacement
James
Arlington
Knee Replacement
Cheryl
Oak Hill
Reconstructive
Hand Surgery
Chris
Arlington
Carpal Tunnel Surgery
Vilma
Vienna
Fractured Wrist
Kelsey
Centreville
Spondylolysis
Jeff
Alexandria
Shoulder Repair
Jenna
Centreville
ACL Repair
Vicki
Manassas
Torn Rotator Cuff
Dana
Manassas
Dupuytren’s
Contracture
Leroy
Falls Church
Osteoarthritis
Brian
Arlington
Knee Arthroscopy
Donna
West Springfield
Pilates and
Core Stabilization
Keith
Stafford
Torn Rotator Cuff
Rachel
Vienna
Broken Wrist
Patson
Annandale
Herniated Disc
Jerri
Alexandria
Muscle-Sparing Total
Knee Replacement
Matthew
Lucketts, VA
Ankle Replacement
Garrett
Vienna
Shoulder Rehabilitation
Karen
Alexandria
Shoulder Repair
James
Annandale
Distal Biceps
Tendon Repair
Laurie
Potomac Falls
Minimally Invasive
Hip Arthroscopy
Kevin
Alexandria
Lacerated Extensor
Tendon Repair
Mary
Herndon
ACL Reconstruction &
Meniscus Transplant
Sam
Edgewater, MD
Shoulder Repair Surgery
Phil
Springfield
Clavicle Fracture
Kelley
Sterling
Dislocated Kneecaps
Brian
Vienna
Skier's Thumb
Stephanie
Vienna
Knee & Hip Replacement
Catherine
McLean
Spine Deformity
Jim
Clifton
Twisted Pelvis
Spiro
Washington, DC
Multi-ligament
Reconstruction
Wenners
Manassas
Achilles Tendon
Reconstruction
Debbie
Haymarket
Anterior Hip
Replacement
Susan
Great Falls
ACL Tear
Patient Testimonials - Brian
Vienna – Skier’s Thumb
Baseball fanatic Brian had just started a game at shortstop for the Industrial Baseball League of Northern Virginia when he took a throw from the right fielder to cut down the runner at second base. As the player barreled in, Brian tagged him out, forcing his thumb backward and to the right violently. Despite the pain, and the fact that he couldn’t grip anything with his left hand, Brian finished the remaining eight innings of the game – swinging the bat with his right hand and making plays at shortstop by knocking the ball down with his glove.
“If my mom was there, I would have been in the hospital emergency room within 20 minutes,” Brian jokes. Instead, his mother recommended he see Thomas Klein, MD, at Commonwealth Orthopaedics, who had treated Brian and other family members for various injuries over the years. Dr. Klein referred Brian to Sarah Pettrone, MD, a hand and upper extremity specialist at Commonwealth.
Dr. Pettrone diagnosed skier’s thumb, an injury in which the thumb is abnormally bent backward or to the side. Although there was a possibility that Brian’s thumb would heal on its own, he took Dr. Pettrone’s advice and opted for surgery. The procedure involved reattaching the ligament back down to the bone. He spent two weeks in a splint and two more weeks in a hand cast, which was removed just in time for him to start his first job at McQuade Brennan, LLP, an accounting firm in Washington, DC.
Two years later, Brian has regained full functionality of his thumb and is back to all the activities he loves, including his great passion, baseball. He recently completed his first summer season as head coach of the FedLock Falcons, a team sponsored by Federal Lock and Safe in Arlington. In his managerial debut, the 24-year-old from Vienna led the Falcons to victory in the Reno Powell Memorial Weekend Tournament in Hagerstown and finished the season with an impressive 13-6 record.
He credits the “fantastic” team at Commonwealth with helping him get back to the game. “Everyone there is very friendly and wants to see you get better as quickly as possible,” he says. “Dr. Pettrone did a tremendous job repairing my hand. She even called me a few days afterward to see how I was doing. I didn’t expect this and it brought a huge smile to my face. It just shows how much she truly cares about her patients.”



