When Margaret Paquette moved to Sturbridge over three years ago, she was already suffering with debilitating knee pain. The pain limited her movement so much, her family gave her the nickname “Tin Man,” after the Wizard of Oz character who couldn’t move without the aid of a few squirts from his oil can. Thankfully, a couple of months ago Margaret made her way to Harrington HealthCare for the first time, where her doctor helped access her own version of an “oil can” so that she could be pain-free for the first time in years.
“The pain was so bad, sometimes I would cry just trying to stand up, but all I was ever given was regular anti-inflammatory pain medication and it wasn’t enough. I was told by other doctors that I had no choice but to just live with the pain.” she recalls.
Determined to find a way to help end her pain and regain her quality of life, Margaret made an appointment with Harrington Physician Services’ Orthopedic Surgery practice. She saw Dr. Young-Ho Oh, an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine. After consulting with Margaret about her condition and ongoing pain, Dr. Oh treated her with a cortisone injection.
“For the first time in three years, I feel no pain,” Margaret says. “Dr. Oh really helped me to feel better. He didn’t make me feel bad about my ongoing pain. And all of the nurses were so kind as well – they even wheeled me from [the orthopedic surgery office] over to the hospital [to receive the injection] and back to my car.”
The cortisone shot is not a permanent treatment for Margaret’s knee; she will need to follow up for additional treatment options in the future. But, she says, the care she received and will continue to receive at the Harrington Physician Services’ Orthopedic Surgery office is already making all the difference in her life.
“I know [the cortisone shot] is just a band-aid for the problem for now,” she says “But my mental, physical and overall health is so much better in the meantime!”
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