On October 10, 2018, everything changed for 38-year-old Joseph Green. A
fall, that took him to the Campbell County Memorial Hospital
Emergency Department, left him with a badly injured shoulder. After visiting with a couple
of different doctors, even one out-of-state, Joseph decided that
Powder River Orthopedics & Spine surgeon
Dr. Stanford Israelsen was his best option for
shoulder surgery.
“He was close to home and it was more of a convenience factor at
first,” Joseph said. But after meeting Dr. Israelsen, Joseph was
impressed with the doctor’s demeanor and professionalism.
“He was very thorough going through everything,” Joseph said.
Because “this was the first thing I’ve ever broken,”
he said, “the whole process was really challenging for me.”
But with Dr. Israelsen’s time and patience, Joseph said he had a
clear understanding of what to expect and what recovery would look like.
This is something Dr. Israelsen says is important when building a trusting
relationship with patients.
“Our discussion always includes the various treatment options and
we talk about the risk and potential outcomes,” Dr. Israelsen said.
“My job is to provide them with the relevant information and help
them make an informed decision.”
This is something Dr. Israelsen believes helps patients feel empowered
to navigate their health care needs and make the right decision for themselves.
“I try not to sugar coat things for my patients,” Dr. Israelsen.
“I want them to have realistic expectations going into it.”
While a rotator cuff repair is a pretty common surgery that Dr. Israelsen
says is a “minimally invasive technique using a small camera through
a small incision in the arm,” the recovery can be challenging—and
it can be quite painful.
“Recovery from shoulder surgery takes time and is generally pretty
slow to heal,” Dr. Israelsen said.
For Joseph, who underwent surgery on October 30, the recovery time took
around three months, which is fairly quick. Dr. Israelsen credits Joseph’s
age and commitment to
physical therapy for the faster turnaround.
“The recovery time was awesome,” Joseph said. “I was
back to work in three months and I have minimal pain.”
For Dr. Israelsen, Joseph’s outcome is exactly what he strives for
with each and every patient and being able to close a patient’s
file with a full recovery notation is what he considers a success.
“I enjoy the last visit where the patient is satisfied with the outcome
and able to return to what they want to do,” Dr. Israelsen said.
Expert Orthopedic & Spine Care In Gillette, Wyoming
Dr. Stanford Israelsen is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon at
Powder River Orthopedics & Spine in Gillette, Wyoming. The physicians at PROS take an innovative and comprehensive
approach to the treatment of acute and chronic orthopedic pain. Have your
procedure in our modern
operating rooms at Campbell County Memorial Hospital or
Powder River Surgery Center.
See the PROS for:
- General orthopedic surgery
- Joint replacement surgery: shoulder, hip, knee and ankle
- Shoulder, elbow, hand and wrist surgery
- Sports Medicine
- Spine surgery and injections, including minimally invasive procedures
- Bunions and great toe arthritis procedures
- Foot and ankle surgery
- Trauma and fracture care
- Workplace injuries
For a consultation, call 307.686.1413 or visit
www.cchwyo.org/PROS.
PROS is a Campbell County Medical Group
Clinic with Campbell County Health.
Article written by Kim Phagan-Hansel, Wyoming freelance writer