When David Schweiger fell off a ladder and tore the graft from earlier anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery, getting back to his active life was his goal. The 59-year-old from Fishers, Ind. wanted to play baseball, basketball, volleyball and soccer again, work out hard and hike.
So he went to see K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, who had treated him for a torn meniscus several years earlier. Dr. Shelbourne recommended physical therapy. “I appreciated that Shelbourne Knee Center wasn’t a surgery mill,” says David. “But I didn’t want to live my life worrying if I misstepped I would have excruciating pain or possibly damage other ligaments.”
David convinced Dr. Shelbourne that surgery was the right choice for him and that he was committed to doing the physical therapy. After David’s first ACL reconstruction (done elsewhere), it took a year until he felt strong and able to do everything he was doing before.
This time, by week 11 David felt fantastic and was back to working out hard. “It’s incredible how well I recovered and how flexible I was compared to the first time I had ACL surgery. The pain was almost non-existent,” he says. As his recovery continues, David plans to participate in the Tour du Mont Blanc in France, a 100-mile hike.
“At Shelbourne Knee Center, in four months you can be back to a competitive level of athletics,” says David.