11/25/2025
🦴 Shoulder, Knee & Ankle Pain? See How This Truck Driver Got It All Treated in One Place
It was just meant to be a quick run into the one-stop shop along his truck route. George J., 60, of Colorado Springs, had his hands full of items to purchase when he rounded a corner at the store and fell over a box that was out of place. “I came down pretty hard on my right side – later I found out something separated in my shoulder; a ligament in my knee cut in half from the impact and my ankle was hurt also,” George explains. “I blacked out for a little while after the fall and when I came to, it was very difficult for me to get up. Then, I started feeling my shoulder pain the most.”
After a call to his employer explaining the situation, George was off to the local hospital to receive treatment. But these injuries were more serious than those that could be resolved with an ER visit. The nature of George’s injuries meant follow-up with providers who specialize in treating shoulders, knees and ankles. While orthopedic providers study all areas of the body during training, most end up focusing their practice on one or two joints or specific areas of the body. It wouldn’t be unusual for a patient like George to need to see one surgeon for his shoulder, another for his knee and another for his ankle.
But in this case, George’s medical team had just the right “one-stop” provider for his needs; a provider who came highly recommended for providing expert treatment to all the areas George needed addressed—Dr. Michael Simpson of Colorado Orthopedic Specialists. “When they referred me to Dr. Simpson, I ended up finding out that a lot of my friends have gone to him also and everyone thinks he’s awesome,” George adds. “He’s well-known in the Colorado Springs area and a really a part of the community here.” In fact, George’s wife, Cindy, soon made the connection that one of Dr. Simpson’s colleagues went to her local daycare as a young child and grew up alongside her own children. [Later, Dr. Simpson was able to get a message to the colleague and make a reconnection for the duo.] The community connection, his far-reaching medical expertise and the uniquely cohesive care made Dr. Simpson the perfect fit to help George get back on his feet.
It wasn’t long before a plan was made for Dr. Simpson to treat George’s injuries. The first surgery he performed was a shoulder repair. Then about four months later, surgery was done to treat the knee and ankle injuries. Today, George reports his shoulder and knee are back to feeling functional, but his ankle still has some healing to do and may require further intervention. He continues to work closely with Dr. Simpson and has a plan in place to get his ankle pain resolved by the end of the year.
In the meantime, he gets around with an ankle brace, but is able to enjoy life with his wife, Cindy, grandchild, and dog “Baby Girl.” He looks forward to more fishing and traveling as he continues to heal from the injuries.
Throughout the ordeal, George knew he was in the right hands with Dr. Simpson providing his care – and was grateful the treatment was streamlined with one provider. “I can't really praise him enough. He's just been 100% awesome. He thoroughly goes through each procedure, what he's going do and the whole nine yards. He’s always very honest and straightforward. Truly, he’s just an awesome surgeon.”
Pictured: George (l.) gifted Dr. Simpson (r.) a statue to express his thanks for the outstanding care he received.
More about Dr. M. Simpson:
https://healthonephysiciangroup.com/physicians/profile/Dr-Michael-Simpson-MD
