Either call our office or click here to request an appointment. New patients are usually seen in the office every day except Tuesday.

We make every effort to stay on schedule, however emergencies and unforeseen circumstances sometimes intervene to cause delays. At times, patients may require more than their allotted time to be treated completely and appropriately and we ask for your patience at such times.

Payment is expected at the time services are rendered unless prior arrangements have been made in advance. We accept most major credit cards.

Joint replacement surgery is surgery performed to replace an arthritic or otherwise damaged joint with an artificial joint, also called a prosthesis. Over time, the rubbery material called cartilage that cushions the ends of bones and aids in movement, will wear away. This causes bones to rub together and in turn leads to stiffness and pain. Most people will undergo joint replacement surgery when they can no longer manage their pain with medication or other conservative types of treatments and the pain interferes with their daily activities and overall enjoyment of life.

This depends on the complexity of your surgery, your insurance benefits, and the type of assistance you may have available to you at home when you are ready to be discharged from the hospital.

Dr. Berkowitz usually prefers to have patients take sponge baths until their surgical incision has healed. The rate of healing will be different for everyone, but generally ranges from about 3 to 10 days following surgery. However, if care is taken to protect the wound from getting wet; some patients may be able to shower earlier.

Typically, Dr. Berkowitz does not use sutures or staples, but rather surgical glue to close incisions in order to reduce scarring. Accordingly, most patients do not need to make an office visit to have sutures or staples removed.

The doctor’s recommendation about how soon you can drive following surgery will differ for every patient. While patients often feel they can drive earlier than the doctor recommends, it is imperative that you wait until your response time has returned to what it was prior to surgery or you may be placing yourself and others on the road at risk.

The answer to this question can only be determined on an individualized basis and is dependent on things such as the complexity of the surgical procedure, your pain tolerance, rate of healing, and the demands of a particular job. If your job is sedentary (desk job), you may generally return to work as soon as you feel comfortable to do so. For jobs requiring significant walking, bending, carrying and lifting, it may take 4 to 6 weeks or longer before you can return to work.

Although it is usually preferred and recommended that patients sleep in this position after surgery for a period of time, it is not absolutely necessary in all cases. Some patients may be able to sleep on their side with a pillow between their legs.

**This is not necessary for those undergoing knee surgery.

Generally, you may resume sexual activity at approximately 6 weeks after surgery; however you must remain aware of the specific precautions regarding activity and movement given to you by your doctor to reduce the chances of joint dislocation.

** This concern is only for hip surgery patients and does not apply to knee surgery patients.

Once you are completely healed, you are advised to choose low-impact activities that do not pose risks to your artificial joint. Generally, we recommend activities such as walking, swimming, biking, golfing, and doubles tennis, and suggest that you avoid activities such as running, skiing, ice skating, and singles tennis. High impact activities can damage your prosthesis and lead to premature wear and to loosening. Similarly, activities that require twisting motions increase the risk of dislocation in patients that have undergone hip replacement surgery.

For true emergencies, including life-threatening cases, always call 9-1-1 for help. If you have an emergency after office hours or on weekends, call the main office number and leave a message at the prompt for emergency messages; your call will be returned as soon as possible. If you find yourself in an emergency room, have the doctor attending to you contact the office to leave a message and Dr. Berkowitz will be contacted.

Our office policy is that medications are only refilled Monday to Friday during normal business hours.