Dr. Jennifer Madden, Physician & Patient
“Having the same condition puts me in touch with my patients.”
Role reversal
Dr. Madden has been a family physician for almost twenty years. But a few years ago, she found herself in the same position as many of her patients. “I tore my ACL playing basketball when I was young, and I eventually developed osteoarthritis from that. It’s been a slow process, but it’s gotten gradually worse.”
“About five years ago, the osteoarthritis knee pain really became an issue. It would ache after I’d been on it for a long period. I take dance classes, and sometimes it would feel unstable and get sore.”
New experience
Dr. Madden tried over-the-counter pain relievers, but she still had knee pain. So she spoke to an orthopaedic surgeon about her options, and he recommended Synvisc-One® (hylan G-F 20). “I received an injection of Synvisc-One and found the osteoarthritis knee pain relief I needed.”
Now that Dr. Madden is using Synvisc-One herself, she has a new understanding of how to help patients who want to improve their overall knee health. “Having the same condition puts me in touch with my patients.”
Good advice
Dr. Madden knows first-hand how hard it can be to get motivated to exercise when you have knee pain. “But I also know how important leading a healthy lifestyle can be for increasing functionality and perhaps slowing the progression of osteoarthritis.”
“I want to help my patients get moving, so I tell them to pick activities that they’ll enjoy — whether it’s biking, Pilates, yoga, dancing, spinning, etc. — anything that will help improve their exercise tolerance and help them keep their weight down, which can reduce strain on the knees and help ease osteoarthritis knee pain.”
Moving forward
Dr. Madden also practices what she preaches, “I'm determined to stay active; I take dance classes and ride my bicycle. I also try to eat well and watch my calorie intake, so I can stay healthy and keep doing the things I want to do.”
“It makes it easier for patients to take my advice, knowing I’m following the same advice myself.”
Dr. Madden isn’t going to let osteoarthritis knee pain slow her or her patients down. “If they want to play golf on the weekends, or they enjoy dancing like me, I’m committed to working with them to find the long-term treatment options that can help keep them going.”
PLEASE NOTE: The views presented herein are solely those of Dr. Madden. This article is a testimonial of one patient’s story and her experience with Synvisc-One. Individual results may vary. Genzyme Corporation does not endorse Dr. Madden.