The consequences of an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear can be devastating for a high school athlete. Nationally, only about 50–60% of athletes return to sport after an ACL tear. Those who do return to competitive sport are sidelined for an average of 12 months or more.
That’s why four injured high school athletes—Jessica Lehmkuhler, Landen Williams, Darby Bevis and Claire Neff—and their parents went looking for the best ACL treatment available. They all found what they were looking for at Shelbourne Knee Center.
A Proven Process for Returning to Sport
Honed over 37 years and 7,000+ ACL reconstruction surgeries, Shelbourne Knee Center has a proven and predictable ACL reconstruction process that results in:
- An 85–90% return to sport rate(1)
- An average return to sport time of about 5–6 months after surgery(2)
“We have a process in place to help athletes get better and get back to play,” says K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center. The ACL reconstruction process includes use of the graft that research has shown to be best (the patellar tendon graft), precise surgical technique and pre- and post-op rehab with the Center’s own physical therapists and athletic trainers who specialize only in knees.
Landen Williams was back to playing competitive soccer within six months of his surgery in April 2018. His dad, William, found Shelbourne Knee Center by doing research. “My knee doctor was one of the doctors they recommended for Landen,” says William. “But for Landen, I wanted a doctor who focused on young athletes and had extensive ACL experience.”
The Best Knee Surgeon
After Jessica Lehmkuhler, a soccer and tennis player, tore her ACL in August 2018, her parents wanted to make sure that she had the best knee surgeon available. Her father, Jon, found Shelbourne Knee Center by talking to people he knew who have had knee surgery and doing research online. “I really liked hearing that Dr. Shelbourne does so much with research,” says Jon. “I’m a chemist, so when I hear people talking about data, it sticks with me.”
Shelbourne Knee Center’s research program tracks patient outcomes and studies factors related to those outcomes to determine how to improve treatment for knee problems. “We have more outcomes data, experience and research than anyone else,” says Dr. Shelbourne.
Within about six months of her surgery, Jessica was able to return to both soccer and tennis.
Traveling to Indianapolis for ACL Treatment
Soccer player Darby Bevis and basketball and volleyball player Claire Neff both traveled to Indiana for their ACL treatment. Darby, who had ACL reconstruction surgery at Shelbourne Knee Center in December 2018, lives in Mooresville, North Carolina, nearly 600 miles from Shelbourne Knee Center in Indianapolis. Claire lives even further, in Bel Air, Maryland.
Darby’s sports chiropractor referred her to Dr. Shelbourne. “He said that Dr. Shelbourne was the best of the best, and the only doctor he recommended,” says Darby.
Within eight months of her ACL reconstruction surgery, Darby was playing soccer at Gardner-Webb University (Boiling Springs, North Carolina), a Division 1 school.
The Neffs were convinced to make the trip to Indianapolis after reading about Darby’s experience. Claire had ACL reconstruction surgery at Shelbourne Knee Center in June 2019. Because Darby and Claire live so far from Indianapolis, they visited the center a few times after surgery and did the rest of their physical therapy at or near their homes.
Claire was back playing volleyball within five months of her surgery. She returned to basketball when the fall season started in November 2019 and was named to the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland all conference for volleyball the same month. “My experience has been 100% better, with a faster and easier recovery than other people I know who tore their ACLs,” says Claire.
For more information about ACL reconstruction at Shelbourne Knee Center, call 888-FIX-KNEE.
References
- Shelbourne et al., Rehabilitation for Patients Following ACL Reconstruction: A Knee Symmetry Model. Sports Health, 2009.
- Shelbourne KD, Urch SE. Primary anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction using the contralateral autogenous patellar tendon. Am J Sports Med. 2000;28:651-8