Patient Testimonials

On September 9th, 2010, my knee was severely injured during a soccer game. When it first happened I thought i had broken my tibia, and I feared that my high school athletic career was over. However, my fear of a broken tibia was highly underestimated. After being carried off the field and attempting to walk, I realized that my leg was not broken, but something else was definitely wrong. The next day, we scheduled an MRI, and the results were traumatizing. I had torn my ACL, MCL, PCL, Meniscus and practically all of the cartilage in my knee. As a three sport athlete, I was torn apart. I thought that I would never be able to run or compete again. I spent the next week in a depressed stupor while scheduling appointments with various doctors and surgeons. I saw three doctors before I visited The OSU Medical Center and Dr. Flanigan, and by that time I was sullen and ill-tempered when it came to talking to doctors about what had to be done with my knee. I was terrified to undergo the procedures that everyone said I would need just to be able to walk again. However, Dr. Flanigan was the only doctor that I felt was completely qualified to undertake and fix the mess the was my knee. In Dr. Flanigan's office, I didn't feel like a patient; I felt as if I was someone that all of the staff, and Dr. Flanigan himself, had known their whole lives. I knew that they would do their best to repair my knee and return me to the athlete I was before. I underwent a seven hour surgery on September 28th, 2010 under the hand of Dr. Flanigan. When I awoke, he told me that my knee was worse than the MRI had shown, but everything had went flawlessly, and for the first time in three weeks, I wasn't worried. As the weeks passed, I had routine checkup appointments with Dr. Flanigan, and every time he assured me that everything was healing perfectly. And every time, I would leave his office with more confidence that I was going to be a great athlete again. I just finished my freshman year of college, and I was a part of the varsity track and field team as a pole vaulter and sprinter. I also played on the intramural soccer team, and led my team to a first place finish. As of now, I am still training and working out my knee to get even better, but all of my collegiate athletic achievements were made possible by Dr. Flanigan. I am glad that I chose him to repair my knee because it now works as good as it ever did.

Thank you Dr. Flanigan and staff for helping pursue and achieve my dreams of being a collegiate athlete.

- Mason Mendenhall

I've never had any kind of surgery before, and approached my meniscal repair procedure with a bit of apprehension. Things couldn't have gone more smoothly for me - Dr. Flanigan is a gifted surgeon. I have suffered virtually no pain, needed minimal rehab, and am back to being fully active mere weeks after surgery. Every aspect of this organization has far exceeded any expectations I had prior to surgery. In this day when we so often lament poor quality service, it is refreshing to see a doctor and his staff so clearly striving for and achieving excellence. I'd recommend Dr. Flanigan and crew to anyone!

- Hal Howard

IN September 2011 my son , Mason, tore his acl, pcl, and mcl in a soccer collision. This injury also involved some cartilage damage. Dr. Flanigan and his team repaired my son,s knee in a 6-1/2 hour surgery. Mason is now a student at The College of Wooster and is a member of the track team. Thanks to the superior skills of Dr. Flanigan, Mason is again a competitive athlete !!!

- Mike Mendenhall

On June 11, 2010 I was involved in a car accident. During the accident, my left knee was severely damaged. The ACL, MCL, and PCL needed to be replaced with cadaver tendons; two tibias and one achilles. My meniscus also needed work.

After spending over three hours in the wreckage, being life flighted, and spending six days in the hospital, I was very leery of doctors.

We, my family and I, met Dr. Flanigan while in the hospital, and to say the least, he truly was a breath of fresh air…. given the circumstances, that said a lot too! What an awesome attitude he has. Above all else, he made my wife and I very comfortable with the circumstances and what the healing process entailed.

During one of Dr. Flanigan and I’s initial meetings, I asked him, “Are you the right guy to do this (surgery)?” I can’t imagine this is a common question asked of Dr. Flanigan, but given the potential aftermath of the injuries sustained, I questioned if he was the best doctor to complete the vast number of surgeries involved. I wanted to make sure, given I’m an active 34 year old athlete, that I was going to get back to where I was prior to the accident. I could not afford to lose another step given my aging body! :) That was the most important thing to me. I wanted the best of the best. I was blessed, as I truly believe I received exactly that.

Dr. Flanigan performed over five total surgeries on my left knee. He, and his staff, are very knowledgeable, courteous, kind, and caring. I will say, out of any doctor I have ever been affiliated with, from physicians to surgeons, he has always made me feel as I am the only patient in his office. He answers all my questions thoroughly, is very personable, and treats all his patients with the respect and time each one needs and deserves.

Thanks to Dr. Flanigan I’m currently back playing competitive flag football, competitive softball, running, and squatting over 400lbs in the gym.

I’m proud that Dr. Flanigan is my orthopedic. Do what’s best for you as I did. Best of luck, and thank you Dr. Flanigan!

- Bob Quart

I am currently an Orthopaedic Surgery Resident at OSU medical center. Every day I am incredibly thankful to have the opportunity to work at an outstanding academic institution that focuses on providing the best evidence based medicine and personalized health care. When I matched for residency at OSU last Spring, it was one of the best moments of my life. This past year has been a tough year for me. During the residency matching process, I developed a devastating knee problem. When it came to making decisions for where to rank places for where I wanted to train as a surgeon, no matter how I looked at the process the only place I could imagine being at from both a surgical training standpoint and a patient standpoint was Ohio State Medical Center. My knee problem was incredibly complex and in my heart I knew that only OSU and Dr. Flanigan could help me with my problem.

Dr. Flanigan took on my case and focused on helping me achieve immediate pain relief with my knee and once we had a diagnosis he brought together a team of physicians, physical therapists and medical staff to address my severe knee issues. Given the extent of the problem and my background in knee research and orthopaedics, I was very concerned about the outcomes of my knee problem and what it meant for my future. He was 100% supportive, listened to all of my concerns and met with me on multiple occasions to help me cope with the diagnoses and surgical planning. It was a really hard decision to have a cartilage restoration procedure just months before starting my work as an intern in the hospital. However, Dr. Flanigan supported me throughout the process and kept me involved in the decision making every step of the way. He was very attentive to my needs, followed me very closely post-operatively and encouraged me throughout the tough rehabilitation process. Just several months after my surgery, I was pain free for the first time in 10 years. We had an MRI several months after my procedure that demonstrated outstanding results of the cartilage restoration procedure. It made me a true believer in Autologous Chondrocyte Implant process- replacement of cartilage in a young, active knee is an amazing achievement.

Dr. Flanigan’s compassion, empathy and willingness to listen has made a major difference in my knee health and my life. His commitment to the medical community and to the education of future clinicians is outstanding and his active research pursuits are just a few examples of his dedication to the field of orthopaedics and to helping improve the quality of life for patients. The great success with cartilage restoration that I experienced and Dr. Flanigan’s energetic personality and sincere belief in cartilage restoration has left an indelible impression. As a medical professional, I hope that someday I can make as much a difference in someone else’s life as he has in mine.

- Carmen Quatman, MD, PhD