I am writing this review because my experience with Dr. Glen Bradish and my total knee replacement…read moreaffected my mobility, my independence, and my quality of life for approximately seven months before I ultimately required revision surgery.
I trusted Dr. Bradish to perform my knee replacement and to care for me afterward. You put an incredible amount of trust in a surgeon when you allow them to operate on your body. I went into this believing the surgery would give me my life back. Instead, what followed became one of the most difficult and heartbreaking experiences of my life.
From early in my recovery, I knew something wasn't right. I was in extreme pain and could not properly straighten or bend my leg. I repeatedly expressed my concerns, but instead of feeling heard and reassured, I felt dismissed.
One of the most troubling aspects of my experience is the discrepancy between what Dr. Bradish documented about my range of motion and measurements taken by other healthcare professionals.
Dr. Bradish documented my range of motion as approximately -5 degrees extension and 95 degrees flexion. However, I have records from outside healthcare providers documenting measurements of approximately -40 degrees extension and 70 degrees flexion. I have retained these records, including measurements from two separate outside providers. Seeing such a significant difference in what was being documented was extremely upsetting to me.
My physical therapists were concerned about my lack of progress. When I brought those concerns to Dr. Bradish and asked about manipulation under anesthesia, I felt belittled and dismissed instead of feeling that someone was genuinely trying to understand why I wasn't improving.
Despite extensive and painful physical therapy, my leg eventually remained approximately 24 degrees from being straight. Because I walked with such an abnormal gait for so long, I also developed significant problems with my hips, back and shoulders.
Simple everyday activities became difficult. I lost so much of my independence, and the physical and emotional toll affected nearly every part of my life. It is incredibly difficult to explain what it feels like to know that something is wrong with your own body while feeling that the person you trusted with your care isn't truly hearing you.
Eventually, I sought care from another orthopedic surgeon and underwent revision knee replacement surgery.
According to my revision surgeon, the femoral component--the portion of the knee replacement attached to my femur--was too large and had to be replaced. During the revision, scar tissue was cleaned out and the polyethylene insert between the components was removed. Even after those steps, my knee still could not be brought straight, and the femoral component ultimately had to be replaced.
Learning this was both devastating and emotional. After months of painful rehabilitation, struggling to walk, questioning myself, and repeatedly saying that something wasn't right, there was finally an explanation for what I had been experiencing.
What hurts the most is knowing how long I struggled before I finally went elsewhere for help. I trusted my surgeon. I trusted that my concerns would be taken seriously. I wish they had been.
Physicians are entrusted with our health and are guided by the principle of "do no harm." In my experience, a great deal of harm was done--not only physically, but emotionally and to my quality of life.
I am sharing my story because I wish I had sought a second opinion sooner. Listen to your body. Keep your medical records and physical therapy measurements. Ask questions and advocate for yourself, even when you feel like you aren't being heard.
I trusted Dr. Bradish with my knee and my ability to walk normally. I ultimately needed another major surgery to revise that knee. I cannot get those months of my life back, and I would never want another patient to go through what I did.
