Walking tall again: Lisa's path to pain-free living
Lisa Borbon, 56, broke her left ankle in her 20s, shattering the joint into pieces and requiring a lot of hardware to “fix.” Over the years, the former break and the hardware destroyed the ligaments and tendons, requiring another five surgeries. One day in 2024, she was walking up stairs and ruptured a tendon.
That’s when she saw Dr. Gary Schmidt, an orthopedic surgeon at HCA HealthONE Orthopedic Specialists - a part of HCA HealthONE.
“He said, why am I putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound?’” Lisa said. “He replaced my ankle and it was the best thing I ever did.”
Ankle replacements, which involve removing portions of bone and cartilage and replacing them with prosthetic implants, have been in use for about a decade for special circumstances. Dr. Schmidt said that as the techniques and prostheses have been refined, the procedure has become widely available and is often recommended for arthritis sufferers, as well as for more complex cases like Lisa’s.
“Ankle replacement is the gold standard,” Dr. Schmidt said. “It’s not as widespread as hip and knee replacements, but the outcome is as good.”
The ankle takes the most force of all weight-bearing joints," said Dr. Schmidt, because it’s so small. And arthritis in ankles can be debilitating and painful, affecting sufferers’ ability to walk and participate in daily activities.
However, sufferers — and their primary care doctors — often don’t know about the possibility of an ankle replacement.
Dr. Schmidt’s use of minimally invasive and arthroscopic techniques benefited Lisa by giving her no complications and a relatively short recovery time.
After undergoing outpatient surgery at HCA HealthONE Swedish, Lisa was able to return to work in six days using a knee scooter. Eight months later, Lisa has lost 50 pounds, which she attributes to her ability to now take long walks.
Dr. Schmidt, a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic foot and ankle surgeon, has more than 30 years of clinical experience. As he says, he has performed “hundreds upon hundreds upon hundreds” of ankle replacements.
He specializes in posttraumatic reconstruction of the foot and ankle, as well as athletic injuries and foot and ankle deformities in adults. Dr. Schmidt also gained valuable experience working with the Montreal Canadiens and Montreal Expos, as well as serving as the team doctor for the McGill University hockey team in Montreal.
“Dr. Schmidt is such a great doctor; he talks to you in English, instead of doctor talk,” Lisa said. “There’s no BS; he tells you everything exactly the way it is. I wish he were my doctor for everything. Dr. Schmidt and his entire team are wonderful. They answered even my stupid questions and never made me feel stupid.”
Orthopedic care in Denver
When your bones and joints let you down, our experienced bone specialists help raise you back up. HCA HealthONE's Denver-area orthopedic specialists know problems in the skeletal system negatively affect your entire life. We minimize that by offering a range of services, such as joint replacement surgeries, sports medicine and even dedicated pediatric orthopedic care. Learn more about our orthopedic care and take a quick knee and hip health risk assessments to help you get started on a path to recovery and wellness.