85-year-old Patient Back to Enjoying Life Thanks to Pros Surgeon

William Todd doesn’t like to slow down. At 85-years-old (on December 29) he still goes to work every day at the company—TIMCO Service and Supply—that he started 53 years ago.

When his knee pain started to get the best of him in the last couple years he had to cut back on some of the activities he enjoyed doing.

“A few years ago I was jogging three miles a day,” William said. “But recently walking was really beginning to bother me. Getting around was getting more difficult.”

Earlier this year he decided it was finally time to do something about it and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Stanford Israelsen, a board certified orthopedic surgeon at Wyoming Orthopedics & Spine.

Immediately, William was pleased with Dr. Israelsen, who took the time to visit with him and help him thoroughly understand the surgery and what the recovery process would look like.

“He’s extremely knowledgeable and is a good listener,” William said. “He’s blessed with a good bedside manner.”

William underwent surgery in May and spent 10 days at The Legacy Living and Rehabilitation Center recovering in their Short Term Rehabilitation area. Staying at The Legacy is pretty common for patient’s around William’s age, Dr. Israelsen said.

“The advantage of that is that instead of getting physical therapy a couple times a week, they’re actually getting therapy a couple times a day,” Dr. Israelsen said.

After returning home, William has continued physical therapy and is back to work, something William says he’d like to keep doing as long as he can. That attitude toward work and life is something that Dr. Israelsen credits to William’s recovery.

“He came into surgery with a really positive attitude and a realistic outlook,” Dr. Israelsen said.

That positive attitude and a willingness to work hard are among several important things that helps patients get on a quick road to recovery. The other things that help with recovery is a good diagnosis and quality surgery followed by physical therapy.

But William’s said he believes Dr. Israelsen also played a big part in helping him get back to his daily routine.

“I don’t have enough words in my vocabulary to describe what a good man he is,” William said. “He’s a good doctor and man, and I would recommend him to everybody.”

For a consultation, call 307.686.1413 or visit www.wyomingorthospine.com.

Article written by Kim Phagan-Hansel, Wyoming freelance writer