Patient Testimonials - Leroy

Falls Church – Osteoarthritis

Thanks to Commonwealth Orthopaedics, Leroy is a new man. Literally. The 57-year-old retired elevator mechanic from Falls Church has two new shoulders, two new hips, two new knees and a cleaned-up spine.

It all began back in 2009 when Leroy’s back pain became so acute he couldn’t stand up. Commonwealth surgeon Tushar Patel, MD, diagnosed a herniated disc in his lumbar spine and performed a microdiscectomy to take pressure off the nerve. The surgery relieved Leroy’s back pain and he was able to return to work.

Soon, however, he was having pain elsewhere in his body. “My legs hurt, my hips hurt and my shoulders hurt,” he recalls. “All my joints had worn out on me.” Over the next two years, Leroy returned to Commonwealth on a regular basis for multiple joint replacement procedures: bilateral shoulder replacements with Christopher Annunziata, MD, bilateral hip replacements with David Romness, MD, and bilateral knee replacements with Dr. Annunziata. The shoulder and hip replacements were performed separately; the knee replacements were performed at the same time.

Leroy had osteoarthritis, one of the oldest and most common forms of arthritis. Also known as “wear-and-tear” arthritis, it is a chronic condition characterized by the breakdown of the joint’s cartilage. This causes the bones to rub against each other, resulting in stiffness, pain and loss of movement.

All of Leroy’s procedures went well with good results. His biggest challenge was recovering from his knee replacements, which were performed simultaneously. “The therapist really pushed me to get up and walking and wouldn’t take no for an answer,” Leroy says. “I was also encouraged to do stretching and bending to restore strength and range of motion.”

Now fully recuperated, Leroy is back to the activities he enjoys: fishing, cooking, and keeping up with his large family of 10 children, 19 grandchildren and his first great grandchild, born in July.

“I’m feeling real good, doing things, not hurting anymore and just taking it day by day,” Leroy says. “Life is good and I’m loving every minute of it. I’m very pleased with the results of all my surgeries. I tell everybody – if you have problems just get it done.”