Patient Experience
I brought my 8-year-old son in after he fell from his bicycle, convinced he'd broken his wrist. Dr. Sarpel had this incredible way with children—he didn't just examine him, he turned it into a game about 'superhero bones.' His diagnosis was surprisingly a complex greenstick fracture that needed careful alignment. What amazed me was how he explained the procedure to my son using toy models from his drawer. The casting was perfect, and at our two-week follow-up, my son actually wanted to show Dr. Sarpel how he could move his fingers. This wasn't just treatment; it was pediatric care that understood fear.
As a 72-year-old retired teacher with deteriorating osteoarthritis in both knees, I'd seen three surgeons who only discussed full replacements. Dr. Sarpel spent 40 minutes reviewing my X-rays and then asked about my gardening hobby. He proposed a staged, minimally invasive partial knee resurfacing on my right side first—'to keep you in your rose garden this season.' The surgery at Adana Ortopedia was day-care; I walked with a cane that evening. His post-op protocol included aquatic therapy recommendations at a specific local pool. Six months later, my left knee feels better too, perhaps from the improved gait. He treats the person, not just the joint.
Midnight emergency after a motorcycle accident—compound fracture of the tibia with significant soft tissue damage. The ER called Dr. Sarpel, who arrived within 25 minutes, still in casual clothes. What followed was a blur of decisive action: immediate debridement, external fixation to stabilize, and a clear explanation to my panicked family about infection risks and staged reconstruction. He didn't sugarcoat it: 'This will be a marathon, not a sprint.' Over the next four months, he performed two more surgeries, transitioning to internal fixation. His follow-up visits were rigorous, checking not just bone union but nerve function and scar mobility. He fought for every millimeter of recovery.
Routine checkup turned detective story. I came in for what I thought was simple shoulder tendonitis from swimming. Dr. Sarpel noticed an asymmetry in my scapular movement that I'd had since childhood. He ordered specific dynamic ultrasound imaging, revealing a rare, undiagnosed Sprengel's deformity—a congenital elevated shoulder blade. Instead of dismissing it, he connected it to my recurrent rotator cuff issues and designed a conservative management plan focusing on compensatory muscle strengthening. He even drew me a diagram of the altered biomechanics. It was the first time in 30 years someone explained why my shoulder always felt 'different.' Transformative understanding from a standard visit.