West Wake News

Lynne Barrett, a 68-year-old Virginia resident, experienced a significant setback in her active lifestyle after an accident on May 17, 2023. Her dog pulled her off the porch of her home, resulting in a broken right ankle. Despite undergoing trauma surgery in Norfolk, Virginia, and subsequent physical therapy, Barrett continued to suffer from severe pain and was unable to lower her right heel to the floor.

“I was in such pain,” Barrett recounted. “I couldn’t stand on the foot without a shoe, so I couldn’t take a regular shower. I had to sit on a chair.”

After consulting multiple doctors without success, Barrett received advice to seek help at Duke Health. She researched and selected Dr. Cesar de Cesar Netto, an orthopaedic surgeon at Duke Health known for his interest in solving complex medical cases.

In April 2024, Barrett traveled over three hours to meet Dr. de Cesar Netto at the Duke Sports Sciences Institute. Reflecting on their meeting, she said: “He was the first doctor in a year and a half who looked so sincere... I believed him. It was an immediate trust.”

Barrett underwent several imaging tests at Duke that revealed arthritis and deformities caused by shortened tendons and ligaments around her ankle. On August 30, Dr. de Cesar Netto performed surgery to lengthen these tendons and remove scar tissue.

“Now the ankle is in a much better alignment,” said Dr. de Cesar Netto post-surgery.

Following surgery, Barrett's recovery progressed well; she transitioned from using crutches to walking unaided. “As soon as the cast came off, I knew my foot was down and we were very excited,” she said.

Today, Barrett has resumed many of her favorite activities including walking up to 6,000 steps daily and raising butterflies again.

Dr. de Cesar Netto emphasized the importance of listening to patients: “I think the hardest problem for Lynne was that she was not being heard... The most important part of her coming to Duke was finding someone to listen to her.”