When David Rivet, a native Rhode Islander and part-time school bus driver, heads out to pick up students, he climbs the stairs on the bus smoothly and pain-free, then eases comfortably into the driver’s seat.
But just months ago, before his journey back to health with Ortho Rhode Island, such a pleasant start to his route wasn’t possible. David suffered from severe right ankle pain due to arthritis, brought on by a fall three years prior that seriously damaged his ankle. After the accident he had visited an emergency room, where he was referred to an orthopedic specialist – but that appointment was weeks away.
So after researching better options, David decided to visit Ortho RI Express for a same-day appointment and thorough imaging of his ankle. David’s provider at Express recognized the severity of his injury and referred him to Dr. Jason Tartaglione, an orthopedic surgeon who is part of the foot and ankle care team at Ortho Rhode Island.
Within 24 hours, David met with Dr. Tartaglione, who encouraged David to have the ankle repaired before the bone began to heal, which would make the surgery he needed more difficult. In fact, the case was urgent enough that Dr. Tartaglione rearranged his plans for the week.
“[Dr. Tartaglione] took time out of his schedule,” David explained. “He had planned a trip for a conference, and he put his flight off just to give me surgery. I think that’s amazing, for a doctor to do something like that.”
Though the surgery was successful, the trauma from the fall resulted in arthritis developing in David’s injured ankle. The condition was debilitating. His stiff, aching ankle meant he struggled to walk – over the golf course, across the sandy beaches of Florida with his wife, or even the length of his driveway.
“Every five minutes I’d have to sit down just because of the pain,” David said, describing his walking attempts. And easy trips on and off the bus were out of the question, too. “Going up and down stairs, I’d have to do one stair at a time.”
So David returned to the orthopedic specialists he’d come to trust at Ortho Rhode Island.
“Dr. Tartaglione and his team talk to you like a person,” David said of Dr. Tartaglione. “I’d ask questions and he’d answer so I could understand him.”
And the message was clear: a total ankle replacement would be David’s best course of treatment. The procedure would replace the damaged bones and cartilage of his ankle with implants that mimic the joint’s natural movement, helping alleviate his pain, and restore his function and mobility.
Just like his first surgery with Ortho Rhode Island three years before, David’s ankle replacement was a success. But that wasn’t the only care that helped put him on a path to recovery. He completed six weeks of physical therapy at Ortho Rhode Island’s Warwick Campus, a great experience that helped him return in the same time frame to walking and climbing stairs without pain.
And being pain-free in just a matter of weeks means David is back to doing the activities that make his life rich, whether it’s a stroll on the beach, or getting back behind the wheel to help local kids get to and from school.
“It’s made a big difference in my attitude towards life again, because I’m not in pain anymore.”
Learn more about Ortho Rhode Island’s state-of-the-art foot and ankle care. To schedule an appointment, call 401-777-7000.
