With more kids playing competitive sports in grade school and more kids playing games year-round, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears in skeletally immature adolescents are on the rise. Most ACL tears occur during games, and female soccer players have the highest risk. “Kids are exposed to potential for injury at a much higher level than ever before,” says K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center.

Six physical therapists shared Shelbourne Knee Center research results at the Fourth Annual Multidisciplinary Scholarly Activity Symposium of Community Health Network and the University of Indianapolis in Indianapolis on May 8th. More than 300 faculty, staff and students attended the symposium, which included 29 oral presentations and 62 poster presentations. Shelbourne Knee Center is part of Community Health Network, an integrated healthcare system in Central Indiana. 
 
The six presentations by Shelbourne Knee Center physical therapists covered: 

Sara R. Hopkins, FNP-BC, CNOR, joined Shelbourne Knee Center in April to help ensure that all patients receive efficient, high-quality care. Hopkins, a nurse practitioner with extensive experience in both orthopedics and surgery, is assisting orthopedic surgeon Rodney Benner, MD. She and Dr. Benner work together in the OR and in the clinic.

During his freshman year in high school, competitive swimmer Jacob Bailey tore his right ACL. The injury occurred during a game of kickball in physical education class. Jacob, who had never been injured before, knew that something was very wrong. “I fell and I heard a pop. I tried to straighten my knee and it was completely locked,” he says.

Minimizing pain after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is the driving principle of the recovery process at Shelbourne Knee Center. “One of the most important aspects of patient recovery is being able to get around after surgery and tolerate physical therapy. If we don’t get patients comfortable enough to be able to participate in physical therapy, it’s an uphill battle,” says Rodney Benner, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center.

Patients at Shelbourne Knee Center maximize their recovery and function through physical therapy that’s specialized, personalized and convenient. Shelbourne Knee Center is the only orthopedic practice in Indiana that has on-site physical therapists and athletic trainers, each of whom specializes in knee problems, and an on-site gym. “Specializing enables us to provide expert and consistent care,” says Sarah Eaton, PT, DPT, ATC, LAT. 

Eaton is one of eight physical therapists (PTs) and athletic trainers Shelbourne Knee Center:

Three weeks after total knee arthroplasty (TKA), Susan Simpson traveled from Crown Point, Indiana, to Chicago to see the musical Rent.This was the fourth knee surgery in 13 years for the 66-year-old grandmother, all performed by orthopedic surgeons at Shelbourne Knee Center.

As athletes have become stronger and the number of games they’re playing has increased, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears also has increased. “We’re making people bigger and stronger than they were 20 years ago and the amount of force generated is much higher. But their ligaments are still the same size,” says K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center.