Patient Information

Patient Information & Educational Materials for Dr. Strickland's Patients

Prior to Visit: Patient Information

We’re glad you’ve chosen to take action in order to feel relief. Here’s some helpful patient information to help you get ready for your consultation with Dr. Strickland

Pay Attention

Take note of which activities worsen your symptoms and what makes you feel better. Keep track of recent changes in activity, whether you have new running shoes or old ones, and to determine what caused your injury. This type of patient information can help Dr. Strickland form a diagnosis more quickly.

Gather Your STUFF

Please bring your MRI, CT, or X-ray images on CD to your appointment. Any results of relevant blood work, reports of previous surgeries, or other health and patient information that can help Dr. Strickland form an accurate picture of your history and current injury.

Online Forms

We strongly encourage patients to fill out patient information forms prior to their visit to reduce waiting time at the office. You should have received an email with a link to access your forms through our online portal. Please check your junk and spam folders if you believe you did not receive it.

If you are having difficulty with the online forms, please contact our office at 212.606.1725.

Post Surgery Patient Information

Now that you’ve gone through the procedure, it’s important to know how to care for yourself. Follow this helpful patient information to ensure a healthy healing process.

Keep it cold

Use the ice machine as directed or purchase several gel ice packs and apply with fabric next to the skin for 20 minutes every 60 to 90 minutes. Ice is most important during first week, but should still be used 3 to 4 times a day for 6 to 8 weeks, especially after a lot of activity.

Keep it dry

The initial hospital dressing stays on for the first 48 hours, replaced by a waterproof dressing. You can cover small arthroscopy portals with Nexcare™ bandaids; these bandaids resemble plastic wrap and keep water out of the wound. Cover larger wounds with Tegaderm™, available in most pharmacies. I usually use absorbable sutures and glue, so it is unlikely anything will need to be removed.

Elevate

Keep your foot up on a bed, sofa or coffee table when resting if you just had knee surgery. For shoulder surgery, it is much more comfortable to stay relatively upright, which means sleeping on the couch, a recliner, or with a lot of pillows in bed.

Keep track of your medication

You will be prescribed a prescription pain reliever. This most often contains Tylenol^®, which should not be mixed with over the counter pain relievers. Please write down when you take your medication so you take it at regular intervals to keep your pain level at a minimum. Also, please call our office or email StricklandGomoll@HSS.edu when you are starting to get low on medication; narcotics are impossible to obtain on weekends.

Start your physical therapy

The physical therapy instructions come from the physical therapist at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Start these exercises immediately so you get moving; this helps you avoid stiffness and hopefully a blood clot. A staff member from Dr. Strickland’s office will call you the day after surgery to answer any questions you may have and provide any additional patient information.

Recovery shop

Get the materials you need for your recovery. I use The Recovery Shop for all my ice machines and other equipment, including compression socks and waterproof bandages. That’s helpful to have available around the time of surgery. These items are eligible for purchase using a Health Savings Account (HSA). We will discuss which items you’ll need at your visit prior to surgery.