Hess Orthopaedic Center

I went to this place about seven years ago for a back problem and was told there was nothing they could do for me until my condition worsened. But then a few days later I received a call to come back in because a surgeon wanted to talk to me about a possible surgical procedure. So I took time off from work, waited a half hour to see the surgeon, and was then told by him there’d been some kind of mix-​up. There was still nothing he could do for me… and then they charged me a thirty dollar co-​pay because I’d spent five minutes talking to him. Never again.

Back in February, I saw Dr. Kime, and he stated that I would need surgery. So the surgery was scheduled for the very next day and needless to say that the surgery didn’t go very well… after he stated that he had done hundreds and only one with negative result over the years. I awoke completely paralyzed and had to be flown to UVA to have what he did reversed… but with a spinal cord injury, it can’t be reversed only minamized. I have been doing OT & PT and still cannot use my left arm and have a very hard time walking. So if he wants to operate on you… RUN!!! DO NOT let him operate on you. PLEASE find soneone else!

UPDATE: After a year of my knee not feeling better, I went to another Ortho and got a second opinion. He asked if I had done physical therapy and I told him no because it was never indicated by Lovelace that I should. After two weeks of physical therapy my knee is better although they stated that since I waited a year, it is going to take a lot longer to get things back to where they were previously. For that, I am docking them another star.
I really don’t know what to think but will share my experience in the hopes that others are better informed. I saw James Lovelace. Nice guy and nice staff. He heard me out and then said, «It sounds like a bucket tear (meniscus) and we need an MRI.» The MRI came back and there was no bucket tear; in fact nothing wrong with the meniscus at all. So all in all, I liked the facility but given that a carnival worker could have made a better prediction, I hesitate to go back in the future given that an MRI is over $ 2,000!