Patient Stories
Telemedicine Allows Patients with Joint Pain to Receive Treatment Now
Date posted: 4/13/2020
Last updated: 4/13/2020
If you suffer from joint pain and are practicing social distancing, you don’t have to wait for an expert evaluation. While COVID-19 has altered how some healthcare is delivered right now, telemedicine has emerged as a convenient way to deliver excellent care.
Take Art Pech for example.
At 45, Pech was concerned about the knee pain keeping him from doing some of his favorite activities, including running, using elliptical equipment and rowing. He had scheduled an in-person appointment with Dr. Craig Della Valle, a joint replacement specialist at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush, which was converted to a telemedicine appointment after the corona virus social distancing recommendations were announced. On the same date and time as his original appointment, but via computer screen, they discussed Pech’s imaging and his eventual treatment options, including a full or partial knee replacement.
“I really appreciated that I could do the appointment without even leaving home,” Pech explained. “And a secondary benefit was that the doctor was right on time!”
Another patient of Dr. Della Valle’s, Dan Hyatt, 50, recently cancelled a scheduled hip replacement surgery with another doctor in order to do a bit more research. A dedicated Ironman and marathon runner, he knew that his hip joint was damaged, but wanted to find out if he was a candidate for a hip resurfacing procedure instead of a total hip replacement. That brought him to Dr. Della Valle, a specialist in both procedures.
COVID-19 social distancing made it impossible to see Dr. Della Valle in person, but with an easy click on a video conferencing link, Hyatt and Dr. Della Valle were able to discuss Hyatt’s pain, lifestyle and limitations. Dr. Della Valle studied Hyatt’s imaging and presented him with options.
“I didn’t have to make the three-hour round trip to Chicago from Ottawa,” Hyatt said. “And I was able to ask Dr. Della Valle all the questions I had.”
Pech and Hyatt are just two patients that have benefitted from telemedicine visits with MOR physicians. If you would like to make a telemedicine appointment to discuss your joint pain, click here or call 877-MD-BONES.
