Saint Michael’s Surgeon and N.J. Nets Celebrate Athlete’s Comeback

At a pre-game ceremony, Matias stood on the basketball court at the Prudential Center Arena next to Dr. Richard Boiardo, chief of orthopedics at Saint Michael’s Medical Center — the surgeon who performed the complex surgery that has enabled the 6-foot-6-inch athlete to play football again.

“The surgery required four screws and four anchors to repair ruptured ligaments and fractured bone,” explained Dr. Boiardo.  “Josue’s injury was exceedingly rare and very involved.”

Matias, who was injured in August 2010, received rehabilitation from SportsCare Physical Therapy in Union City.  He has regained full range of motion in his knee and is now able to bench press 325 pounds and squat almost 400 pounds  — the same as before the injury.

“Josue certainly rehabbed like a champ,” said Dr. Boiardo.  “He appears to have recovered 100 percent.”

The Nets also honored Dr. Boiardo with a humanitarian award for his work with Operation Walk, a non-profit medical mission that provides free hip and knee replacement surgery to poor and uninsured patients around the world and in the Greater Newark area.

Dr. Boairdo is widely published in the field of orthopedics and is the first surgeon in New Jersey to provide robotic-arm assisted knee surgery for patients who need partial knee replacement.

“We congratulate Dr. Boiardo on this recognition by the N.J. Nets,” said David A. Ricci, president and CEO of Saint Michael’s Medical Center.  “We are proud of his surgical skills, as well as the level of his compassion.”

The emotional story of the Union City athlete’s injury and comeback is told in a Star-Ledger article accessible online on the NJ.com web site.