Conditions + Treatments
Knee Injury/Condition
Hello, my name is Katelyn Bergeron. I am 16-years-old and attend Oak Grove High School. I enjoy cheerleading, playing tennis and modeling.
My injury started when I was 15-years-old. I first noticed it when I was tumbling - it felt like my knee cap would slip out, causing sharp pains. I thought I was just sore and needed rest from cheering every single day. It turns out I was extremely wrong.
The more I continued to tumble, run, or try to work out the worst it got. I decided it was time to visit a doctor, so I went to a local doctor’s office, and they said it was nothing but suggested physical therapy.
I continued my daily activities for about six months, and I overall thought I had gotten better. They told me I could increase my tumbling like before, so I got brave and attempted to do a standing tuck (the same skill that I got hurt doing). I remember being very nervous because this skill puts so much force landing on your knees and ankles.
Once I built up enough courage, I set to do a tuck and when I landed I felt a huge pop and I couldn’t move. I looked down to see what happened and I could clearly see my knee cap had popped out of place. After a few phone calls to our local doctor’s office and getting no answer I turned to my athletic trainer, Kendra Menghini, with PlaySafe AL. I met up with Kendra and she stretched and evaluated my knee. She believed it was my MPFL and thought I had a chronic dislocation.
Kendra suggested I go see a doctor at Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, which I have been to before for a previous injury. At Andrews Sports Medicine I had some of the most kind, caring and concerned doctors. I told Dr. Lyle Cain about my previous injury and he recommended an x-ray. Unfortunately, they didn’t see anything wrong in the x-ray but wanted to dig deeper because I was in a lot of pain. We completed an MRI and found out that it was my MPFL just like Ms. Menghini had suggested.
After a long discussion with Dr. Cain, we decided that it would be best to move forward with surgery. I had surgery the following week, and I began to regret it. I was worried I was not going to be able to walk again or tumble, and I thought being a healthy athletic kid was over.
I went to (ATI for my physical therapy and they really helped with letting me know everything as going to be okay in the end. Once I started tumbling again I had a lot of mental blocks, and sometimes I still freak myself out and must have someone calm me down and tell me I can do this.
I am so thankful to have had amazing doctors to care for me and that still check up on me to this day. I am better today than ever before. My competition cheerleading team just advanced to the Cheerleading Championship in Orlando, Florida which I am excited to be a part of.
My modeling has taken off, and so has my tennis career because I am able to play without my knee buckling out while walking. I was worried about my incision leaving a scar, but they gave me some crème that has almost made my scar unnoticeable!
I am so blessed I had to opportunity to us Andrews Sports Medicine. Thank you to the best surgeon ever - Dr. Cain, my amazing physical therapist, and the most selfless person Kendra Menghini. These people really changed me for the better, and I feel brand new.
