Michael E. Pollack, MD- Flemington — Local services in Raritan Township

I'm a 63 year old General Contractor who is very active and does a lot of physical labor daily. I have been a patient of Dr. Pollock for the better part of 12 years. He has been administering cortisone shots multiple times a year for a knee that has bone to bone rubbing for the last eight years or better. He has recommended total knee replacement when I'm ready but meanwhile the cortisone shots eliminate some of the pain, I have tried synvisc which was only successful one time then I went back to the cortisone. It has been my decision to put off knee replacement although encouraged many times by Dr. Pollack. Following my last cortisone shot in September 2019 I took his recommendation and decided to have the knee replacement. I had the knee replacement on November 19th at Hunterdon medical center. I have in the past spoke with many people that have had the knee replacement and was told it is a somewhat slow process many months before you can resume normal activity. Furthermore some of the most important part of recovery I was told is the physical therapy. Having the surgery on Tuesday the 19th being released on the 20th I went home hoping for the best but had no idea how tremendous and quick my recovery would be. I was fortunate enough to resume work 5 day following surgery. Obviously being very cautious of the major surgery I just went through but actually believe the constant movement all day long was my way a fulfilling requirements of physical therapy for me. I am now 6 weeks post-op and totally resumed normal activity I can only say after talking to multiple people that have had the same surgery I owe it all to Dr. Pollock and his expertise. The physical pain I was in on a daily basis hindered my ability to work effectively and the fact that being a devout golfer this past year has been torturous to get out and play a round of golf without excruciating pain the following day. I'm looking forward to this upcoming golf season. There is not another orthopedic surgeon I would ever recommend to anyone who was considering a total knee replacement. I cannot thank Dr. Pollack enough for the quality of life he has given me through this knee...

Mid Jersey orthopedics is a great place to go to, but seeing Dr Pollak was the worst decision I ever made. He misdiagnosed me three times over the course of 5 months, concluding I had a Ulnar Collateral Ligament partial tear, in which he was wrong every time. The whole time it had been my medial epicondyle bone ripping and ripping with every pitch because my growth plate wasn’t sealed yet. This was very visible on x rays, me and my dad asked him about it and he continued to say “oh that’s nothing don’t worry about it.” After the third time of saying it was a UCL problem, he issued a arthogram mri. He looked at it and diagnosed me with a “partial UCL tear”, but the new doctor I saw at the number one rated surgery spot in the country (HSS) said there was absolutely nothing wrong with my ligament at all when he saw the mri picture. After Pollak diagnosed me with the partial tear, he decided to give me a platelet rich plasma injection, which was completely useless because those injections target ligaments, not bones, and costed my parents $800. I rested for a month after that shot like he told me too, and my first practice back my bone ripped right off. We went to the hospital and they concluded it was my bone, not my ligament. I had get a screw in my elbow to put it back in place, I’m on a rough recovery now. Also, this isn’t the first person he’s done this to either, 3 of my friends had the same issue and every time he told them it was a “partial UCL tear”. He went to a real doctor today and he said it’s the same thing I had. I strongly do not recommend going to Pollak, go to a school nurse and you would...

Dr. Pollock has been my "knee" doctor for more years than I care to count. He told me from day 1, I'd know when it was time for a knee replacement. My turning point was 12/22. Over the years I had both steroid and gel shots. I also had PRP treatments a few times. Eventually nothing was giving me any relief from the constant grinding of bone on bone.

April 10, 2023 I had my knee replaced at the Hunterdon Medical Center. From the moment I walked into the surgery center, until I walked out of the hospital, my care was excellent. I never had any real pain after surgery, rather a little discomfort. My PT began the next day. I could not have asked for a better therapist. My recovery was far quicker than I could have imagined.

Today I saw Dr. Pollock for my 1 year anniversary. This last year has been game changing for me. I am no longer in constant pain and do not have to crawl up my steps. I do think of Dr. Pollock as a miracle worker. His skills are amazing. He has always been kind, courteous and empathetic. I am eternally grateful for Dr. Pollock.

When and if the the time comes to have knee #2 replaced, I will not hesitate. I recommend Dr. Pollock to anyone who is suffering...