After more than 20 years of hip pain, especially on the right side, the pain finally became bad…read moreenough that surgery had to be seriously considered.
Over the years, extensive long-term physical therapy and multiple cortisone and PRP injections were tried without lasting success. At one point, an expensive placental-tissue injection was proposed. It sounded appealing, but after looking carefully at the research, I could not find convincing evidence that it would repair a significant structural tendon tear.
I am an attorney and spent part of my career representing physicians, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. That certainly does not make me a doctor, but it does make me careful about medical claims and major medical decisions.
Several excellent orthopedic surgeons were consulted. One was Dr. Michael Muldoon in San Diego, a superb and highly experienced hip arthroscopic surgeon. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, trained at the Mayo Clinic and previously directed the Hip and Knee Service at Naval Medical Center San Diego.
What impressed me tremendously was his honesty. Dr. Muldoon explained that, although he had extensive hip arthroscopy experience, he had not done enough of this particular gluteus medius repair endoscopically to recommend doing mine that way. He could perform an open repair, but highly recommended Dr. John Christoforetti for the endoscopic approach.
That distinction mattered a great deal to me. An open repair generally means a larger incision and more disruption of the tissue around the hip. An endoscopic repair uses small portals and specialized instruments, with much less soft-tissue disruption and potentially fewer wound-related complications. For this type of surgery, I wanted someone who had performed a great many of these repairs through the less-invasive approach.
After extensive research, I could not find anyone who remotely matched Dr. John Christoforetti's combination of experience, qualifications and focus on this type of surgery.
Dr. John Christoforetti is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, graduated from Georgetown University School of Medicine, has performed thousands of arthroscopic procedures and served as President of ISHA--The Hip Preservation Society. He also teaches advanced hip arthroscopy techniques, including knotless labral repair.
There is an old saying: if all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Medicine is no different. Even excellent surgeons naturally tend toward procedures they know best. Patients should take their time, get several opinions and ask how many of their exact procedure a surgeon has actually performed. Once surgery is done, there is no rewind button.
That is why I flew from San Diego to Maryland specifically to have Dr. John Christoforetti perform my surgery.
My operation included an endoscopic gluteus medius tendon repair, removal of the inflamed trochanteric bursa and endoscopic treatment of the damaged portion of the labrum.
The surgery was performed at Watkins Mill Surgery Center, a new physician-owned orthopedic center with specialized equipment for procedures such as hip endooscopy. The facility was impressive, but the personal care was even more impressive.
Brian Long, PA-C, gave me his direct phone number and was available by call or text. Knowing I could reach someone who actually knew my case was incredibly reassuring. The entire experience felt truly one-on-one rather than like being passed through a large medical system.
It is far too early to judge the final surgical result. Recovery from this repair is lengthy, and my walking and activities are currently very restricted while the tendon heals. So far, however, I have not needed pain medication since surgery.
The experience with Dr. John Christoforetti, Brian Long, PA-C, and their team has been the best doctor-patient experience of my life.
Traveling across the country for this surgery was absolutely worth it!
