A patient recently came to Dr. Galle for a second opinion after several months of pain and loss of strength in his right elbow. The pain had come on acutely, and had been managed conservatively at home using rest and topical treatments for 3-4 months.
Upon reaching out to Proliance Hand Wrist & Elbow Physicians, the patient was able to schedule an appointment with Dr. Galle in just a day or two at the Kirkland office.
“The biggest thing I want to convey about my overall experience is how fast, easy and efficient it was. I love that everything is in the same building – clinic, imaging, and the surgery center. And it’s so conveniently located and easy to find from the freeway.”
The patient had suffered a partial tear of his biceps where it attaches to one of the bones in the elbow. These injuries can come from overuse but they can also happen as a result of an event or accident. Patients who sustain this kind of injury are often active in sports or compete in high intensity exercise culture such as Hyrox and Crossfit. The challenge with these injuries is that they can linger for months without improvement despite treatment with rest, changing your activities, physical therapy or injections such as corticosteroids or platelet-rich plasma. In patients that have failed conservative management, surgical repair of the biceps tendon in the elbow can get them back to the gym and on with life. It is an outpatient procedure so no time spent in the hospital and while there is rehabilitation involved, patients are generally very happy with the final results.
“The surgical staff made me feel very comfortable and at ease during the procedure. And when I woke up from surgery, even though I was groggy I was aware that my pain was being well-managed by the post-operative team.”
After surgery, Dr. Galle works with a dedicated post-operative team that helps manage the early stages of the recovery process. Often patients experience a bit of brain fog immediately following anesthesia, and it can be difficult for them to process and retain information.
“Dr. Galle personally called me to check on my recovery a few days after surgery. Not a member of his staff, Dr. Galle himself. I was blown away that he takes the time to do that with patients and it made me feel really well taken care of.”
This patient’s recovery included Occupational Therapy (OT) with one of the Proliance, Hand, Wrist and Elbow therapists. As is often the case, the patient was seen a couple of times a week initially and then was able to go in less and less frequently. Eventually he graduated from the OT program completely.
“I had a great overall experience. I’m 100% recovered less than a year after my surgery. I would absolutely refer people to Dr. Galle – I already have! And I’ve been back to see him myself about an issue with my other arm.”
