Amy’s Story

I was living with arthritic pain in both of my shoulders, which became so unbearable that I could not even button my jacket. After a rehabilitation session for my shoulders, I asked my physical therapist at Advanced Physical Therapy in Boca Raton if they knew of an orthopedic surgeon specializing in treatment for this ailment. Without hesitation, my physical therapist recommended Dr. Jonathan Hersch. I trusted my physical therapist with this referral because they know which doctors are doing a fantastic job with orthopedic care in our community. Then, I had dinner with a friend of mine and found out they had a fracture repaired by Dr. Jonathan Hersch and recommended him.

I scheduled an appointment with Dr. Jonathan Hersch at his office in Boca Raton. At my appointment, Dr. Hersch had an exuberant attitude. During my visit, Dr. Hersch had X-rays taken of both of my shoulders. He diagnosed arthritis in both of my shoulders. I went to Dr. Hersch for surgery on my shoulders after doing physical therapy and living with the pain caused by my shoulder ailments. My shoulders were in rough shape.

Dr. Hersch also took the time to share with me strengthening exercises I could do in physical therapy prior to my surgeries. He took the time to list out these exercises he approved me to do. One of the contributing factors to my success is the fact that I did prehab beforehand to strengthen the muscles around the shoulder prior to surgery for my shoulder arthritis. This helps with recovery. I also made sure to complete my prescribed shoulder stretch exercises, which definitely helped me. I put in the work. Working out is something I do a lot. During the Pandemic, I did many spin classes at home. I like to be in shape and having the quality of life to work out is very important to me.

As I moved towards a surgical solution, Dr. Hersch was great. He scheduled surgery for the shoulder with the most extensive damage for February. Because I was going to have both of my shoulders surgically repaired he decided to schedule a procedure the following January for my other shoulder with the bone spur. Dr. Hersch took my X-rays and imported them into a preoperative surgery planning tool technology to create guided personalized surgery for shoulder replacements. This type of high tech intraoperative computer-assisted technology helps with pinpoint precision and accuracy during shoulder surgery.

For both of my reverse shoulder replacement surgeries, I really only had minimal pain afterwards. I had both of my surgeries with Dr. Hersch at West Boca Medical Center, which I found efficient with a caring staff.

Throughout my pre-op and post-op appointments at Dr. Hersch’s office there was no hiccups. Dr. Hersch was very self-assured, commanded the situation and I felt confident with him.

During the surgery, Dr. Hersch was able to give me a nerve block in each shoulder, which lasted two days so pain was never an issue. I wore my shoulder brace after each surgery and slept in bed. I only had to take a minimal amount of medication. Today, after a full recovery in both of my shoulders the range of motion is good. I look forward to getting back to weight lifting and building muscle.

• This testimonial reflects the experience and outcome of this patient. Actual results will vary.