Patient Stories

Casey Pickett/Double Leg Repair

Physician: Dr. Terrell's patient Casey Pickett

The Whole Person Needs to be Treated, Not Just The X-Ray! Casey Pickett was just 28 years old when a drunk driver hit him head on and left him with a brain injury, a broken pelvis, and two severely broken legs. He survived against all odds and was taken to Atlanta Medical Center. With both legs being broken, the hospital sought out Dr. William Terrell to perform his unique external fixation procedure on one of his legs. Then another doctor would repair the other leg with internal...

David Johnston/Leg Amputation

Physician: Dr. William D. Terrell's Patient David Johnston

David Johnston came to Dr. Terrell in 2013 asking for a leg amputation. Well that is not a common first appointment, but David had done his research. He had had multiple surgeries and constant severe pain for over 20 years due to ankle arthritis and osteomyelitis. He had tried many procedures and therapies and was ready for the bone amputation. He wanted to walk and run again. After several months of scans and prep work, Dr. Terrell felt that David was a very good candidate for...

Vanessa Garity/Lumbar Spine Fusion

Physician: Dr. Land's patient, Vanessa Garity

About 20 years ago, Vanessa Garity had a fall in a snowstorm in Pennsylvania causing severe back pain. A 5-day hospital stay with IV steroid treatment and weeks of physical therapy fixed the problem at the time. She would slowly begin to have back pain again but in 2011, the pain became worse. She was having sciatica down her leg so bad that she had to be put back on steroids. This was only a temporary fix. She then tried injections but those didn't work. Then she started to have...

Justin Golden / Natural Height Reached

Physician: Dr. Terrell's patient Justin Golden

Natural Height Reached! Justin Golden is a K9 Handler and Instructor for the State of Georgia's Public Safety Department. He trains the dogs to sniff out explosives and is assigned to the Capitol in Downtown Atlanta. He's also 6'9"! Well he was 6'9" with extreme knee pain and now he is at his natural height of 7' 1/4" and pain free thanks to Dr. William Terrell! Justin is tall and has a tall family so being well over 6 feet was normal. What wasn't normal is for the last few years...

John Koerner: Playing Golf Again

“What Dr. Valvani did for me has enabled me to play the Eagle Watch Member/Guest Golf Tournament for the past four years!” - John Koerner In late 2014, John Koerner, came to Pinnacle after being seen by other doctors for low back pain. The other doctors said there was nothing that they could do. One physician even told him that he should get a new hobby and give up golf! Mr. Koerner met with Dr. Valvani and they discussed his treatment options and came up with a plan. He underwent a...

Nicolas Marine/Arthroscopic Shoulder Surgery

Physician: Dr. Bonnaig's patient, Nick Marine

Nicolas Marine came to Pinnacle with severe pain in his right shoulder. He is a plumber and was doing some heavy lifting when he felt a sharp tearing in his shoulder. It hurt more when he raised his arm. He had been treating the pain with cortisone injections, physical therapy and anti-inflammatory medicine but there was no improvement. He met with Dr. Nicolas Bonnaig and was diagnosed with a labrum tear, partial tear in the rotator cuff and a complete rupture in his biceps tendon. Dr....

Cynthia Pool/Total Knee Replacement

Physician: Dr. Ponnusamy's patient, Cynthia Pool

Cynthia Pool came to Pinnacle Orthopaedics in October of 2017 with pain in her left knee. She had been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis when she was a child but this pain had started about two years ago. It was mild at first but gradually started getting worse. Her pain and stiffness occurred when walking, bending, twisting or going down stairs. There would also be a “catching or popping” that would sometimes happen and then her knee would lock up. She also had occasional swelling....

Shannon Mallory/Torn ACL

Physician: Michael L. Kuczmanski, M.D.

Torn ACL So what happens when a weekend warrior gets sidelined with an injury? That was the question Shannon Mallory was asking when he was injured playing soccer in November 2012. Shannon is a right mid-fielder for a team in an adult soccer league. He was injured in a game when he collided with an opponent as both were going for the ball. He heard a "pop" in his knee. The collision of the two players tore ligaments in Shannon's knee and dislocated his kneecap. After an MRI...

Cindy Cook/Knee Arthroscopy w/ Partial Medial Meniscectomy

Physician: Dr. Burris' patient, Cindy Cook

Woodstock resident Cindy Cook experienced first-hand the expertise of the Pinnacle Woodstock Surgery Center. She had been having knee pain for some time and was unable to extend her leg comfortably. The pain was gradually developing along her knee cap. She went in to see Dr. Brandon Burris at the Woodstock office. Her diagnosis was a medial meniscus tear. She would need to have a procedure to repair the tear called a knee arthroscopy with a partial medial meniscectomy. This is a...

Brian Bohannon/Lumbar Disc Herniation

As the team physicians for KSU, Pinnacle sees a variety of injuries. So when KSU Head Football Coach, Brian Bohannon started having pain in his right leg in the Spring of 2017, he knew exactly where to go. He had numbness and weakness and had difficulty sitting and fully extending his leg. He visited with the Pinnacle Team Doctor and then with the Pinnacle Physiatrist. It was determined that this pain was from repetitive use. He had had a lumbar epidural steroid injection but was still in...

Elizabeth Whitton/Rehabilitation

Physical Therapist: Jamey Abbott, OTR/L, CHT

Patient: Elizabeth Whitton/Rehabilitation Elizabeth Whitton is a musician who plays the harp for patients in the hospital and hospice care. While in Florida, she fell and crushed her right arm and fractured her elbow. She had surgery in Florida to repair her arm and then came to Pinnacle for occupational therapy. "My therapist was very thorough but thoughtful. It was painful but successful! She encouraged me at every stage of treatment and gave me very clear instructions for...

Sandy Faye Taylor/Limb Lengthening and Deformity Repair

Physician: William Dean Terrell, M.D.

Limb Lengthening and Deformity Repair Sandy Faye Taylor came to see Dr. Terrell after many, many visits with other physicians. She had a leg deformity that prohibited her from standing upright and level. Her legs were different lengths and her knee bent incorrectly. Most people think of an orthopaedic doctor as the doctor one goes to for a broken arm or a fractured hip. However there are many specialties within orthopaedics. Limb Lengthening and Deformity Repair is a very...

Severed Fingertip Recovery

Physician: Trevor T. Starnes, M.D., Ph.D.

Cross Finger Flap Surgery -- An injured finger is repaired by attaching it to the skin and soft tissue of a healthy finger to cover the defect. Last year Pinnacle Orthopaedics had a patient who was a construction worker operating a skill saw when he sustained a laceration to his left index finger. He sustained what is called in medical terms an open distal phalanx fracture with volar oblique tip amputation – meaning the tip of his index finger was cut off and bone...

Jacob Laconi/Partially Dislocated Shoulder

Physician: Jessica C. Bilotta, M.D.

Partially Dislocated Shoulder Kristin Laconi, brought her son, Jacob, 11, to Pinnacle after he showed off the "trick" he could do with his shoulder. Jacob is a typical active pre-teen who plays basketball and golf. Presumably, as a result of playing those sports, his shoulder began to pop out of place...thus the "trick." His mother shares her experience with Pinnacle ... Pinnacle Senior Partner, Dr. Paul Payne examined Jacob and determined that he had a subluxation or a partially...

Dick Travis/Torn Rotator Cuff, Bicep Tear

Physician: Michael L. Kuczmanski, M.D.

Dick Travis/Torn Rotator Cuff, Bicep Tear In February, my husband, Dick Travis, was injured while riding a snow mobile in Jackson Hole, Wyoming while visiting our daughter. It was the second day of our trip and we decided to take a snow mobile adventure ride, which we had done many times before. On this day a blizzard set in making the trail extremely hard to follow. As the storm continued, visibility worsened causing Dick to veer off the trail down a deep, snow-covered slope. As the snow...

Mohammad Mustafa/Limb Lengthening

Physician: William Dean Terrell, M.D.

Limb Lengthening Mohammad Mustafa has lived more than half of his seven years with a crippling, chronic bone infection that has made his left leg four inches shorter than his right. In his home of northern Iraq, Mohammad has already undergone 12 operations. The next treatment for him there would have been amputation of his leg starting at the hip. "We had lost hope," said Mohammad's father, through an interpreter. After so many surgeries and still the same, the little boy seemed to be...

Keith Anderson/Motorcycle Accident

Physician: Alan Swayze, M.D.

Motorcycle Accident On a beautiful April spring day, I was tooling along, enjoying the countryside, feeling the power of the motorcycle underneath the seat. I came to a stop behind a car that was making a left turn into a gas station. I was waiting with my foot on the ground when I was slammed from behind by a car that was going 45 miles per hour. I wondered why the stars were out in the middle of the day. Why can't I move my arms or legs? I must be dreaming. That's when the "fun" really...

George K. Roberts/Leg Trauma

Physician: William Dean Terrell, M.D.

Leg Trauma George K. Roberts has been in the armed forces for the past 26 years. The last year was spent in Iraq defending our freedom by fighting terrorists. There he was hit by mortar fire and dogged many bullets while trying to simply stay alive. He came home to fight a bigger battle and a sharper bullet. While horseback riding at his home in Ranger, Georgia, he was thrown off his horse severely crushing his right leg. After calling 911, he was taken by truck to the main road over an...

Carpal Tunnel

Physician: Trevor T. Starnes, M.D., Ph.D.

Pinnacle Orthopaedics is excited to announce that Dr. Trevor Starnes is now using a popular carpal tunnel procedure that has had phenomenal satisfaction by patients. The procedure is called Endoscopic Carpal Tunnel Release System (ECTRS). The incision is not in the palm of your hand like traditional carpal tunnel procedures, known as open procedures. A small incision is made at the base of the wrist in non-tensed tissue which allows for easier healing and a smaller scar. Once inside, an...

Want Your Life Back?

Physician: O. Scott Swayze, M.D.

As Seen in Cobb Living Article by Laurie Entrekin Is hip, knee or shoulder pain restricting your enjoyment of daily activities? With the latest advancements in joint replacement surgery, most Americans suffering from osteoarthritis can be assured of relief of pain and the ability to live a fuller, more active life. In fact, according to national statistics, 90 percent of patients experience good to excellent results following the replacement of a troublesome joint. The success rate of...

Dr. Scott Swayze has been named vice chair of the WellStar Health System Board of Trustees

Physician: O. Scott Swayze M.D.

August 8, 2018 We are excited to announce that Dr. Scott Swayze has been named vice chair of the WellStar Health System Board of Trustees. He will serve two years in this leadership role and then be named Chair. Congratulations to Dr. Swayze! https://www.mdjonline.com/news/wellstar-board-of-trustees-names-new-chair-vice-chair/article_cdf33d3c-9a4a-11e8-b87c-2b45779ea7b6.html