Welcome to Our Blog

About us:



We are orthopedic surgeons specializing in joint replacement surgery who practice together at Syracuse Orthopedic Specialists in Syracuse, NY and are affiliated with St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.  Even after 20+ years of practice, we still find the ever-advancing field of joint replacement fascinating.  We created this blog to open a small window of our world to others.





Dr. Brett Greenky



Dr. Seth Greenky





 

Rather than pontificate our credentials and backgrounds, we know of no better way to introduce ourselves to you than through the eyes of our mother.  Read on……………………

Help your brother’s boat across, and your own will reach the shore.

    --Hindu Proverb

This seems to be the mantra of the strikingly similar, yet dramatically different Greenky brothers.  As Dr. Seth Greenky, the more affable of the two, lingers behind to offer a reassuring word to a concerned patient or family member or to greet a hospital employee, Dr. Brett Greenky, precisely punctual and highly efficient, has finished rounding on his patients, checked in with his office, and moved on to arrive at his next destination well ahead of the scheduled time.  They jokingly identify and accentuate the other’s differences to all who know them and are highly competitive; however, brotherly instinct and protective action dramatically kick in if anyone else offers similar commentary.  It seems to be an activity reserved for exclusive exchange between the two of them.  They are remarkably passionate and completely unified about their profession, their specialty, and the care that they provide to their patients.  They seem to complement each other exceptionally well and strive to assist the other reach the next level of success.

Seth and Brett Greenky exude success and accomplishment.  There is an incomparable energy that surrounds them and radiates to those who work closely with them.  Merely fourteen months apart, the brothers grew up side by side and appear to have lives that paralleled each other in more ways than not.     They come from the same family, attended the same elementary and high schools, excelled at the same sport (wrestling) which earned them scholarships at Northwestern University, and attended medical school at SUNY Health Science Center.  After a brief divergent pathway as they each participated in fellowships at different locations, Seth at the Cleveland Clinic and Brett at New England Baptist, they reunited to partner together to pursue their chosen specialty, total joint replacement, at St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center.

Is their parallel track and close relationship today a mere coincidence, or the result of a carefully crafted plan by their mother?  Their mother, Patricia Greenky, seems to unequivocally know the answer to this question.


Most decisions in life depend on custom, rules, and willy nilly choices, as in eenie meenie…and then there is the GUT. When Brett Bryan made his outstanding debut 14 months after his brother Seth Samuel, it took only the first 2 ½ months to understand that the mutual curiosity between the boys was motivated by awe, respect, poking exploration and a unique dialogue consisting of grunts, giggles and squeals.   Although constant supervision was critical it became crystal clear to the Mother that a fraternal bond was in the making.  The rolling giggling crawling gymnastic foray developed into an infant brotherhood.  Little did Mother ever imagine that those rumble tumble kiddies would later on become high school and then college wrestling champions.

While maintaining their rolling wrestling bond they also developed other specific interests.  Seth concentrated on the discovery of the wheel, a fascinating invention which facilitated pulling a wagon, then allowing mastering the tricycle and finally, before he was five, riding off into the setting sun on a junior size two wheeler!  Oh!  If those Ford Brothers could have seen him charge on down the road…

But where was Brett during these sidewalk forays?  Why, Brett was upstairs, now mesmerized with a challenging game of small painted wooden shapes --- squares, triangles, circles and oblongs, each having a  small hole in its center.  With a dozen or more squat nails and child size hammer, a cork board allowed the developing architect to

build a castle or mansion on the corkboard site.  Brett needed no assistance.  He politely

but firmly rejected partners.  There were certain areas of life which required sublime privacy for personal fulfillment.  During these same months, Brett also took exquisite time to crawl into the crib of his new sibling, a little sister just over 2 years his junior.  With saintly patience he taught Sharmon to talk, one syllable at a time.  Mom-mee,  Dad-dee, Em-mah, so that by the time little Sharmon was 9  months old she had a magnificent vocabulary of 2-3 dozen words.

Soon, home games, rolling around in the summer grass, autumn leaves and Buffalo winter snows, gave way to the exiting prospect of Kindergarten!  It was time to GO TO  SCHOOL!

Seth entered Kindergarten in September 1961 at  The Lindberg School in Kenmore, N.Y.  when he was exactly 5 years old.  His birthday is September 15. 1956.

One year later, when Brett was 4 years and 10 months old, Mother was advised that Brett’s entrance into Kindergarten, and essentially his entrance into his academic career, should begin the NEXT year because his birth date of November 17, 1957 officially took him out of the specified cut-off date for entrance into Kindergarten that particular year.  That regulation would  separate the brothers by two class years instead of one.

The Greenky Mother’s GUT spoke loud and clear.  The boys had a fast and enduring bond.  The Big Brother was clearly a care giver and a creative partner in all endeavors in life such as 1. Wrestling and Rolling About, and, 2.  Conniving Non Official Events e.g. SNEAK NIGHT and 3. When And How To Schedule Other Social Engagements…   

Mother went directly to the school.  She spoke to the Principal, a man she had known earlier from her own High School Days.  There could be no doubt but that Brett was physically able and cognitively competent to enter Kindergarten at the age of 4 years and 10 months and succeed admirably.

Another teacher was brought into the discussion.  The rules at that particular time were not irrevocable.  Mother was required to bring Brett to school for an informal meeting with Mr. Principal and Miss Kindergarten Teacher.  Mother was advised that the ultimate responsibility for Brett’s satisfactory Kindergarten experience was on her shoulders.

Mother agreed.  And the deed was sealed.

Mother’s GUT absolutely positively emphatically inescapably KNEW that the boys must be separated academically by one year and one year only.  That would be the only way that their phenomenal relationship would remain intact.  The crisis was avoided. 

GUT won the day.