I’ve had two knee replacements over the years. My problems started over 40 years ago when I was pregnant and fell on black ice. I was walking “bone-on-bone” for any number of years.

Dr. Crawford did my first knee replacement in Newburyport five years ago, and then a second one in Portsmouth this past January. I can’t believe how much better I feel. I realize now that my back was horrible for all those years because my bad knees threw my entire body out of whack. Now I go up and down the stairs like a normal person. I really enjoy gardening which was a problem with my knee pain, so I am really looking forward to it this year. I left so many activities unfinished in the fall that now I can do.

Of course I followed Dr. Crawford to Portsmouth. He’s a personal favorite of mine, and I work with a lot of doctors. Any problem I have that involves a bone – I’m going to Portsmouth!

When I was younger, I played a lot of baseball as a catcher. All that squatting down eventually took its toll on my knees. I went from my knees bothering me to my knees being really painful.

That pain got steadily worse. I was having problems just climbing the stairs. Dr. Crawford told me I had degenerative arthritis in both knees. He tried a conservative approach first, including cortisone shots and knee braces. I lost 130 pounds to take the pressure off my knees. That definitely helped but by last fall, I couldn’t sleep because of the pain and it was affecting my ability to do my job.

This past January, I had both knees replaced, stayed in rehab for 10 days, and I’ve been stretching and exercising on my own since. I just feel so much better. I have no pain at all.

I would do it all over again. That’s how good I feel.

Even though I live in Newburyport, I did not know Dr. Crawford until I started asking around about someone who could help me with my knee issues. Dr. Crawford came highly recommended by several people and I could immediately understand why he has such a great reputation. He is not someone who jumps to surgery. He is very professional, but also very down to earth. So I felt completely comfortable with his recommendations and course of treatment.

My knee was in bad shape from an old softball injury, and I kept re-injuring it over the years. Finally, I was diagnosed with a torn ACL, and was experiencing dull pain and swelling behind the knee.

I’ve been playing Ultimate Frisbee for over 30 years, and the thought of not being able to continue was depressing. Dr. Crawford discussed three options with me: build up the surrounding muscle and stabilize the knee through Physical Therapy, replace the ligament with a tendon from my thigh, or replace the ligament with a cadaver ligament. I chose this last option and was amazed by how fast my recovery was. I had day surgery at Portsmouth Regional Hospital and was in Physical Therapy two days later.

It’s been six months since my surgery and I’m doing really well. I’m looking forward to playing Ultimate Frisbee at Seabrook Beach this summer. I’m ready to go!

When you’ve been in the funeral home business for 37 years, you find out who the good doctors are. I respect Dr. Crawford not only for his careful, thoughtful approach as a doctor – but also for who he is and what he stands for. And thanks to my knee replacement, I now know what a normal knee feels like!

I injured my right knee in a wrestling tournament many years ago, and over the years it became more and more painful. I was very apprehensive of surgery of any kind and Dr. Crawford never pushed me, saying, “You’ll know when it’s time.” And I did. In addition to the knee replacement, he also did substantial arthroscopic work on my shoulder. With both surgeries, Dr. Crawford spent plenty of time with me, made sure I understood all of my options and accurately set my expectations about the recovery and rehab time.

A remarkable thing about Dr. Crawford is his ability to accurately diagnose with his hands – an art that many doctors today never develop because they depend on electronic imaging technology. When Crawford is volunteering in Kenya in the orthopedic teaching program he founded, he teaches doctors to use their hands and clinical observation, because they don’t have the diagnostic equipment that we have here. He’s a remarkable doctor and human being.

I’ve been Dr. Crawford’s patient for many years, and I followed him to Portsmouth after he left Anna Jaques Hospital. A year ago, he performed a partial knee replacement and the recovery was speedy and relatively painless. Three years ago he repaired my torn rotator cuff. Both my shoulder and knee are now pain free and fully functional.

Although I’m retired from the full-time restaurant business, I’m on my feet 12-15 hours every day - taking care of my alpacas, two dogs and my busy ice cream stand. One day, one of the alpacas stepped on me, crushing my toe – an alarming injury for anyone with diabetes. A staph infection followed and two other doctors urged amputation, but Dr. Crawford assured me that “The toe won’t go.” He managed the infection and saved the toe without surgery – just good doctoring.

I trust Dr. Crawford to be thoughtful, patient and act in my best interest. With him, surgery is not always the answer, so when he recommends it, I trust his judgment and know that the results will be good.