and reconstructions, procedures that may be
somewhat uncommon to other surgeons are
routine to him. And nothing prepares you better
than experience. Educated at the University of
Toronto and the University of Western Ontario,
London, Canada — Dr. Messieh’s interest has
always been in joint replacement. Following a
fellowship at Ohio State, he moved to central
Florida in 1991 to join the Bond Clinic, leaving
there in 2005 to found Messieh Orthopedic
Clinic. He has always been drawn to orthopedic
surgery because of the immediate, tangible
positive results he could accomplish. Such instant
improvement for patients has proven to be
intensely satisfying for him throughout the years.
at getting good outcomes to the personalized
care he and his dedicated staff provide.
“This is not a teaching center — no interns or
residents. The focus is completely on the patient
and the patient knows who the operating
surgeon is,” Dr. Messieh explains. “I always
consult with patients prior to any surgical intervention
myself to understand their needs
and goals. Once I understand the nature of
their pain and functional disability, I present
them with their options of management which
may be operative or nonoperative. If surgery is
considered, the patient is educated on what to
expect, the potential risks and complications
they may face. It is hard to leave that to a third
party, be it a nurse or an educator. I want to do
the counseling myself.”
“Patients need to understand their own role
in their recovery,” Dr. Messieh continues. “I may
work on them one hour, but they have many
hours of physical therapy to enhance and
achieve full recovery. Patients must fully understand
what they are contemplating having
done.” Dr. Messieh’s candid and precise consultations
ensure patients know exactly what
they are getting into.
Patients praise Dr. Messieh’s forthcoming,
easy to understand communication style.
And it is a good thing he is clear because
misunderstandings abound. Dr. Messieh says
several misperceptions are common — for instance,
what is actually done during replacement
surgery. Some patients are under the
misconception that the entire hip or knee is
removed and a unit put in, when actually what
is done during surgery is a resurfacing of all of
the worn out cartilage surfaces in the joint with
man-made materials. So, in fact, resurfacing
the joint and replacing the joint are often an
interchangeable term.
Choice and success, individualized counseling
and immediate improvement — these are
the goals Dr. Messieh and his team have for all
their patients. And at the end of the operation,
that’s what we all want, isn’t it? Success and
improvement. When it comes to joint surgery,
those two things seem to be practically assured
if Dr. Messieh is involved. After all, he is, according
to his own patients, the “bees’ knees.”
Pre-operative template for hip replacement
used in planning prior to surgery.
Messieh Orthopedic Clinic
1601 6th St. SE, Winter Haven
863.419.9301
3200 Physicians Way, Sebring
863.471.9700
Messiehorthopedic.com
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