By Annette Pinder

Drs. Marcus and Cindy Romanowski are a husband and wife physician team who love working together. Dr. Marcus is an orthopedic surgeon who focuses on knee and hip replacement. Dr. Cindy is a physiatrist specially trained in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Cindy manages each patient’s surgical preparation and recovery. Both physicians understand that a patient’s relationship with their physicians is critical to a successful outcome.

The doctors met in medical school and married while completing their residencies. Now, years later, they balance a busy practice at the Knee and Hip Center at General Physician, P.C. (GPPC) combining their surgical expertise, compassion, education, and physical rehabilitation, with the needs of their family.

Dr. Cindy has educated over 10,000 patients through consulting and seminars over the last two decades. Patients say her classes are easy to understand, thorough, and streamlined. She has managed to transcribe the classes into a book titled, A Patient’s Guide to Total Knee Replacement: How to Achieve Your Best Possible Outcome Through Preoperative Education and Planning. The book uses clear illustrations that make it easy for patients to read and visualize what to expect throughout the entire process. “Perhaps my understanding of what our patients need comes from insight I have gained in raising a son with autism. Our son is much calmer when he knows what to anticipate. When I draw pictures for him and explain what is going to happen next in simple terms, he is calmer. Patients anxious about what is going to happen to them need the same care and attention,” says Dr. Cindy.

The care model utilized by the Romanowski team is unique and involves managing the patient experience from pre-surgical education to post-surgical recovery. “We typically follow patients in the comfort of their own homes, providing physical therapists and nurses trained in our specific protocols. The team can communicate with the doctors whenever required, enabling timely reassurance or treatment plan modifications,” says Dr. Cindy.

What should patients expect from knee or hip replacement surgery, and why do so many people need it? The Romanowskis say it’s a combination of age, arthritis, and genetics, but on average, the time it often becomes necessary is by age of 62. However, the Romanowskis tell their patients that they can help defy genetics by eating healthier, exercising safely, and losing weight, if necessary, noting that walking is one of the best and easiest exercises.

Both doctors say, “The ability to provide care as two physicians approaching each patient’s needs from two different perspectives — as an orthopedic surgeon and as a physical and rehabilitation specialist — has contributed to our patients’ successful outcomes.”

To learn more about the unique care that is provided by these physicians at the GPPC Knee and Hip Center at 705 Maple Road in Williamsville, visit www.gppconline.com or call 716-839-0632. Also, watch a television program featuring knee and hip replacement as practiced by this unique physician couple on May 19 at 8 pm or May 22 at noon on WBBZ-TV FiOS, Spectrum, and DISH Channel 5 and DirecTV Channel 67.