Wagdy S. Rizk, MD

Patient Testimonials

Discover what our patients have to say regarding their office visit, surgical experience or recovery process. We also encourage our existing patients to share their own experience!

“Like a rock.

That's how I was built. Football strong. Football was my sport in college. I played fullback for Tarkio College in Missouri. My wife, Pat, called me Jeff the Jet even after my playing days were over.

Thirty-some years later I was still like a rock - as in, I couldn't move. That morning last January I sat stiffly in the cab of my pickup, watching my teenage daughter, Brooke, my youngest, scramble up a rock wall with her friends at our church youth group retreat. I'd always climbed with the kids. Heck, sometimes I even beat them to the top. Not anymore.

I looked ruefully at the ice pack on my swollen right knee. I'd overdone it at the gym. Dr. Rizk, my new orthopedist, suspected a meniscus tear and said I might be able to avoid surgery if I rested and iced it. And that was my good knee.

My left knee I'd torn up at age 19, and despite a couple surgeries, it hadn't been the same since. I was okay with giving up my dream of playing in the NFL. All I wanted was to be a good, strong, active dad.

I'd managed, with a truckload of Advil, to stay in shape and keep up with my kids so far. I played ball, worked out and hiked with them, and even got in some tennis with Pat. I owned a family hardware business and loved my work, but all the years of pounding the concrete floor every day helping customers had taken a toll. Lately the pain had been getting worse. Some days I walked with a limp.

I was reaching for my trusty bottle of Advil when Brooke tapped on the truck window. "We miss you out here, Dad," she said. "There's nobody to make fun of. Can't you come out and play?"

"Sorry, sweetie," I said. "Gotta rest these old knees."

"Okay, Dad. As long as you're okay by next summer. We're going back up that mountain in California, remember? You promised." Brooke ran off to rejoin her friends.

My promise. Of course I remembered.

Five years ago, when Brooke was 11 and I was 50, we went backpacking for a week in the Sierra Nevada with a bunch of other kids and dads. We camped out, hiked deep into the wilderness, climbed to 10,000 feet, even rappelled down a mountain face. Me and Brooke, toting backpacks that were almost bigger than she was. It was an unforgettable trip, an amazing father-daughter bonding experience.

"Dad," Brooke said at the end of the trip, "this was the most fun I've ever had, even if there were some things, like the rappelling, that I couldn't do well. Promise me we'll come back in five years, when I'm sixteen and all grown up."

"I promise," I said.

Promises were sacred in our family. I'd never broken one to Brooke, and I sure didn't want to start doing it now. Lord, you've got to help me here, I prayed. Help me keep my promise to my daughter.

It wasn't like there was anything else that could fix my knees. I'd tried just about every option, surgical and otherwise. Now it seems like every jock (pro or weekend warrior) has his knees scoped, but back when I wrecked my left knee at 19, arthroscopic surgery wasn't the standard. My surgery involved actually cutting my knee open and left me with a huge, nasty scar but little relief.

I tried all different kinds of over-the-counter painkillers after that. I tried icing and rest. Strengthening exercises. Nothing worked. My left knee still clicked and popped, still hurt. "There's not much we can do for arthritis, and young as you are, that's what you have," my doctor informed me.

When I was 30, I heard about a new arthroscopic procedure developed by a sports surgeon in Houston. Should I try it? Pat and I had three young kids by then. I'd be out of commission for weeks, and the last thing Pat needed was a fourth person to take care of. But she insisted, "If there's a chance it could help, it's worth it."

I had the surgery, and for about half a year my left knee felt pretty good. But then the old clicks and pops returned. So did the pain. There's no cure, I thought. I'll just have to deal with it.

I was used to playing hurt from my football days. For the next 20 years I toughed it out. Me and my bottles of Advil. But when I hit 50, the knee really deteriorated. Slowly, inexorably, I had to give up the physical activities that had defined my life. Tennis went first. Then rock climbing and wilderness hiking. Just throwing a football around the yard with my two older boys required icing afterward.

Now even my good knee was a mess, and here I was sitting on the sidelines-okay, in my truck-while Brooke and her friends rock-climbed. Me, a competitor, reduced to a chaperone.

For a few weeks after the church retreat, I babied that right knee. When the pain didn't go away, I went to Dr. Rizk again. An MRI confirmed a torn meniscus. "I can definitely fix it with arthroscopy," he said with the same confidence as my previous doctors.

I was dubious. "I've heard stories about guys like me who have this surgery, and end up worse than before," I told Pat. "They can't jog, can barely stand in line at a movie."

"You never complain," Pat said, "but I know that your knee is killing you. Surely scoping has improved in the last twenty years."

I had the surgery. Six weeks of daily rehab sessions later, the knee definitely felt stronger. I could do a vigorous workout on the elliptical, no problem.

One afternoon in April I stopped by Dr. Rizk's for a checkup.

"How's that right knee?" he asked.

"Better than I thought it would be," I admitted. "A lot better."

"I can help you with your left knee too," Dr. Rizk said. "Have you ever considered a partial knee replacement?"

No way, I thought. That's where I draw the line. I'd done a fair amount of reading on knee replacement. It was major surgery, requiring months of rehab-months when I'd have limited mobility. Plus, there was no guarantee it would work. It was a lot riskier than arthroscopy, after all.

Then I thought of the promise I had made to Brooke, to climb in the Sierras with her when she turned 16. I thought of that frustrating day in January when I'd had to sit out her church retreat. Hadn't I asked the Lord then to help me keep my promise to my daughter? What if this knee replacement was his answer?

At 7:00 a.m. the following Monday, I went into surgery. It was truly an act of faith. Four hours later I awoke to see two burly physical therapists hovering over me. "Time to get up, Jeff," one of the guys said. They helped me onto my feet. "Hold on to this walker to steady yourself. Now get moving."

I gripped the walker tight, leaning on my arms. "It's okay," the other therapist said. "You can put weight on that left knee now."

Really?

"Go ahead," they urged. I eased my weight onto the knee and said a quick prayer. The knee held! They only wanted me to take a few steps down the hall, but I made a lap around the nurses' station. "Can you walk backward?" they asked. I took one cautious step, then another and another. Yeah! I felt like the old Jeff again. The therapists were amazed. "Nobody walks backward the first day." Well, they didn't know Jeff the Jet, or the power of a promise.

I went home the next day. I felt so good I must have covered miles crutching around the house. Not a click in my left knee, not a pop. Three days after the surgery, I told Pat, "I'm going for a drive." Before she could protest, I said, "I'll be fine. I don't have to use my left leg to drive." Besides, I had an errand to do.

I drove to the sporting goods store and clomped in, using my crutches for balance. "Where are your hiking boots?" I asked.

The clerk tried not to stare at my crutches. "What are you planning on doing?" he asked.

"I have a mountain to climb with my daughter," I said. A promise to keep, strong as a rock.”

“I had a very good experience with my total hip replacement thanks to Dr Rizk and staff. Every step was taken to provide information and to provide a healthy recovery. Thank you again Dr Rizk and staff!”

“I am a 52 year old female, I had severe arthritis and no cartilage left in my right knee. On November 7, 2016, I had a total right knee replacement. Dr. W. Rizk was my surgeon and I had the procedure done at Baptist Hospital in Beaumont. He explained everything in great detail prior to surgery and made sure that I was well informed. He answered all of my many questions. His office staff was excellent and very helpful with getting all of the arrangements made for surgery. The surgery went as planned, I was standing up in my room that evening and walking in the hall the next morning. I have had little to no surgical pain. I used a walker while in the hospital, a cane when I went home and was completely cane free and walking unassisted within 5 days after surgery. Prior to surgery, severe knee pain limited me doing the activities that I enjoyed. Three months post op, I am pain free, my range of motion is almost completely back to normal and my incision is healing beautifully with minimal scarring. I will be having my left knee replaced in the near future and will definitely use Dr. Rizk as my surgeon. In my opinion, Dr. Rizk's surgical technique leads to faster recovery with the least amount of pain. I would highly recommend Dr. Rizk to anyone considering knee replacement surgery.”

“I had arthritis in both knees for 10 years. Every time the weather changed or I was on my feet too long I suffered. I went to Bone and Joint in Beaumont and got Cortisone shots, which helped for about a month but the pain came back. The doctor said both knees was bone on bone and I needed knee replacement. He sent me to Dr. Rizk. Doctor Rizk done knee replacement on one knee in July and the other in November. I feel so much better now that I am not in pain anymore. Thanks to Dr. Rizk I am able to be more active now. Doctor Rizk seems to really care about his patients and wants the best for them. I highly recommend him.”

“At 58 years of age, I had been a short distance runner for over 25 years. The older I became, the more I experienced left hip pain. After changing exercise routines, trying physical therapy, taking medication and eventually undergoing an injection into my hip, I began investigating joint replacement. Dr. Wagdy Rizk had been my constant medical partner throughout my journey. Our serious conversation revealed that we had exhausted every possible option and joint replacement seemed the best solution. With this life-changing decision made, surgery was scheduled.

The educational pre-surgery class as well as a final consultation with Dr. Rizk answered all my question before the big day. Following my surgery I went home after two nights in the hospital and had an uneventful recovery -allowing me to return to work in just two weeks time.

This joint replacement surgery truly changed my life. I am back to my exercise routine, feel absolutely no pain and am unbelievably fortunate to have found such an excellent orthopedic surgeon. Thank you Dr. Rizk !

”

“Dr. Rizk was very to the point of explaining my injury and what needed to be done ,after surgery follow up with rehab was very successful and

have returned to work full duty.

Thanks again for all the help.”

“Dr Rizk and his office are wonderful! They are all very helpful in the whole experience of my knee replacement. I had very good care in the hospital and in his office. If you need any of his services, I would highly recommend him. ”

“Dr. Rizk is a wonderful surgeon; but he is a caring person first. He is very attuned to your individual needs. He is very concerned with your individual problems and wants to be of help to get you better. He gives you his undivided attention when he is talking with you, he finds out all he can before treating you for the best results. I will definitely tell anyone I know or see (that needs help with their structure) to go to Dr. Rizk for an evaluation to get the help needed.”

“Dr. Rizk did a complete hip replacement for me. His surgery techniques are awesome. His bedside manner is impeccable. His entire staff is supportive and professional. I had my surgery December 18th and was canoeing on my anniversary on April 21st. Thank you guys!”

“Two months ago, Dr. Rizk performed a total knee replacement on my right knee. My right leg was very out of alignment and bowed out. I had dealt with this for most of my life. Since the surgery, my leg is aligned and has given me a new lease on my life.

Thank you Dr. Rizk and Baptist Hospital.”

“I highly recommend Dr. Risk for replacement surgery. He is very informative before having the surgery, and also takes the time to answer any questions we had. ”

“My name is Tommy Hall. I live in Kountze, Texas. I was having some pain in my right hip area. It progressed to the point that I could not stand walking on it. After a visit to my family doctor, he sent me to Bone and Joint, to Dr. Rizk. After xrays were taken, he told me I needed a total hip replacement. On May 22,2017 Dr. Rizk did the replacement. I had very little pain when I woke up. I was walking in the hospital that evening. I have not had any problems since the surgery. I did all the therapy and exercises like he told me to do after the surgery. I would recommend Dr. Rizk and his staff if you need surgery.”

“On,07/03/17, I had my left Knee replacement surgery done by Dr. Rizk at Beaumont Baptist Memorial Hospital located in Beaumont, TX. It is my opinion that Dr. Rizk is a very skilled and talented Orthopedic Surgeon and I feel very fortunate to have such a talented doctor in the Beaumont area. This was my second knee replacement by Dr. Rizk. I had my right knee replacement 5 years ago. I had all the the shots in the right knee that seem to help with the pain when walking. When my right leg at the knee started to bow out I knew it was time have the knee replaced. I started asking questions to various people that had gone through knee replacement surgery. I was given different doctors names and most were located in the Big City of Houston. I choose Dr. Rizk of Beaumont because my wife's parents had their successful knee replacement surgery done by Dr. Rizk. Almost 5 years later I was having a lot of pain in my left knee. I tried the shots, however I was told by the doctor the left knee was bone on bone and knee replacement was the only option left. I then contacted Dr. Rizk who preformed the knee surgery. At the time of this writing I am proud to report the left knee replacement was successful too. You might say this has become a family affair because Dr. Rizk also performed my wife's right knee replacement also. Again I like to state Dr. Rizk in my opinion is a very skilled and talented Orthopedic Surgeon. I want to thank Dr. Rizk and his staff for their hard work and say job well done. ”

“I had suffered with osteoarthritis in my left knee for over 30 years. I could not walk very far without pain and stiffening of the knee, and was constantly in pain. Dr. Rizk performed my total knee replacement surgery in July of this year and did an amazing job. I can now walk normal walk up and down stairs without pain, straighten my leg and bend it. He did an awesome job. I highly recommend him to anybody with knee problems.”

“Dr. Rizk is an excellent surgeon! I am very pleased with my surgery - recovered much faster than expected. I would recommend everyone to him. To top it off, he is a very nice person!”

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