Carolyn Heisler was suffering. Every day and every night she lived with the pain in her knee. Heisler’s pain grew worse over time but became so severe in February of 2020 that she had difficulty walking. Her physician at Main Line Health, Maria Bucco, D.O., highly recommended Michael Birns, M.D., a sports medicine surgeon at Premier Orthopaedics. He was able to get her in quickly and after an exam, x-rays, and an MRI Heisler was diagnosed with mild arthritis and a meniscus tear. A cortisone injection provided relief, but this was only temporary. Ultimately, she and Dr. Birns discussed arthroscopic surgery to relieve her pain.
Dr. Birns specializes in arthroscopic surgery of shoulder, knee, and hip disorders. He felt her condition could be managed with an outpatient arthroscopic procedure to clean up the torn meniscus tissue and smooth down her arthritis. This is done through small incisions and the use of an internal camera. The procedure was performed on an outpatient basis and took less than an hour to complete. Heisler tolerated the procedure well. She could move and even walk immediately afterward.
After surgery she was sent to physical therapy where she continued to improve. She is now back to doing all the things she loves “completely pain-free!”
“It’s been wonderful being able to resume my normal life of shopping, taking walks, and just living a healthy lifestyle. My knee feels so much better,” said Heisler.
Dr. Michael Birns is a fellowship-trained sports surgeon who specializes in shoulder, hip and knee arthroscopic surgery for the management of sports and arthritis-related injuries.