Conditions + Treatments
ACL Injury/Reconstruction
Knee Injury/Condition
My son, Jacob, who is in now in his senior year at Oak Mountain High School, plays football and wrestles for the Eagles. Unfortunately, at the beginning of the 2018 football season Jacob experienced a severe contact injury. During practice while his leg was planted, a teammate rolled into the side of his leg, resulting in a severe, left knee injury.
Prior to visiting Andrews Sports Medicine, Jacob had 60CC of blood taken off his knee and was found to have a foot drop. He had an MRI completed and it showed an ACL tear along with a posterolateral corner disruption. In addition, his PCL had some signals of slight tearing as well.
On August 28, 2018, we made the decision to reach out to Andrews Sports Medicine and scheduled an appointment with Dr. Benton Emblom.
At the time of the visit, Jacob was immobilized with crutches to help elevate his left knee. Dr. Emblom evaluated Jacob and looked over his MRI. Dr. Emblom listened to Jacob's needs and concerns. He let Jacob know that playing his senior year was an achievable goal. Dr. Emblom recommended immediately starting physical therapy to emphasize modalities to control swelling. During the surgical consult, Dr. Emblom thoroughly explained at length the risks and benefits of surgery. We agreed to move forward with surgery. There was a lot to be repaired.
The next day, August 29, 2018, is when Jacob had surgery with Dr. Emblom. After the surgery, Jacob was placed in an unlocked brace. After the operation Jacob worked very hard not only with the goal of competing his upcoming senior season but maintaining his academics as well.
The first words out of his mouth following the news of his injury was "I am going to come back bigger and stronger." He continued to support and encourage his team mates as the season went on. His hard work and drive served him well. Due to his injury, Jacob missed three weeks of school the Fall semester; however, he managed to make up all his work and still achieved a 3.5 GPA for the semester and returned to his part-time job at Publix.
Following surgery, Jacob continued to work with PlaySafe Athletic Trainers, Katie Cardianl & Ciara Taylor who not only assisted in his physical recovery, but also went above and beyond during the season to provide support to him as the reality of his injury unfolded. He also continued to attend ATI Physical Therapy, who was also instrumental in his ongoing recovery. We can’t say enough about the therapist who give him the ability to rehab with a mindset of limitless potential. With this devotion of his care providers and coaches, Jacob was recently released from PT and cleared of all sports-related restrictions outside of contact.
Our family is grateful to Dr. Emblom and Andrews Sports Medicine for providing great care, when needed most. Dr. Emblom holds a special place in our heart. As parents of a child who has played football since he was 4 and a half years old and has never had so much as a broken bone, he continues to afford us the gift of feeling completely confident in Jacob’s care.
Diane Payne – Jacob’s Mother
