Schenectady Patient Stories

TURNING LIFES SETBACKS INTO THE GREATEST COMEBACKS

MEET ELISA

Elisa Schneider had been running for most of her adult life. She first saw Dr. Alfandre due to hip pain, then again while training for the Philadelphia Marathon for severe muscle strain two weeks out from the race. Each time, Dr. Alfandre helped ensure she could continue running.

Then in the fall of 2022, her calf began to hurt. She went to physical therapy and even the chiropractor because her mechanics seemed off. Thinking she didn’t need surgery, she went to another local provider and the unthinkable happened.

That doctor said, “You will never run again.”

She immediately called OrthoNY and went back to Dr. Alfandre now knowing that surgery was potentially on the table. And Dr. Alfandre’s words put her at ease, “we’re going to get you back running.”

In December of 2022, Dr. Alfandre performed a Medial Meniscal Repair on Elisa’s left knee. With time, her knee began to get stronger. “Injuries like Elisa's do not mean the end of the road. With current advanced surgical techniques, patients like Elisa can not only safely get back to running and sports, but the surgery also supports long term preservation of the knee joint, oftentimes preventing the need for knee replacement in future," Dr. Alfandre shared.

After giving her knee time to recover and completing a home exercise program provided by Dr. Alfandre, she felt she was ready and laced up her running shoes. She soon began training for her first race. Since then, she has run three races with her most recent begin the Delightful (formerly Freihofer’s) Run for Women on June 1, 2024.

“I am so thankful to Dr. Alfandre. He gave me hope. I went to that first appointment with him holding so much fear. I had been told by the other doctor I would never run again and that was crushing. Dr. Alfandre was confident and calm. And when he said, I’m going to get you running again – I believed I would. I knew I was in the right hands.”

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MEET JUSTIN

Justin Andolina grew up playing hockey, soccer, and tennis. After graduating from college, he began managing properties and working at Ellms Farm. However, at 26 years old, an L5-S1 disc bulge made it increasingly difficult and soon impossible for him to do what he loved.

For a year and a half, he tried stretching, physical therapy, and cortisone shots, but his condition only worsened. His sciatica became so severe that he could barely walk, sit for more than a few minutes, or even get in and out of a pickup truck.

Thankfully, Dr. Coseo took the time to listen and promptly scheduled him for a microdiscectomy. Justin experienced immediate relief after the procedure.

Now, a year later, he’s back to his old self—working on the farm, hauling Christmas trees, flipping houses, skiing, and coaching both the Burnt Hills Varsity Boys Tennis Team and the Union College Club Hockey Team.

“Dealing with these issues at such a young age was scary, but I can’t imagine where I’d be without the care and support of Dr. Coseo and the OrthoNY staff.”

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• Malta, Route 9
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