Conditions + Treatments
Meniscus Tear
I was an 8th grader playing jr. high basketball. My dad is the coach of the Winfield varsity girl's basketball team. My dream at the time was to play for my dad one day.
However, on December 27, 2012 I was sitting in the floor of the gym watching our annual Christmas tournament next to my mom, which is also our athletic trainer at the school, and when I went to stand up I felt an excruciating pop in my left knee. I was unable to straighten my leg. The pain was horrible. My mom, knowing deep down that my knee appeared locked due to a meniscus tear, didn't want to believe that's what had just happened. She tried convincing me to try to straighten it, ice, and try to walk hoping and praying this wasn't real.
My mom called Dr. McGough and expressed her concern. She told Dr. McGough she would take me to see our family physician to obtain an MRI first thing in the morning, and would then contact his office back if in fact what she believed to have happened was for sure a locked knee due to a meniscal tear.
MRI confirmed a large lateral meniscal tear and indeed a locked knee. Dr. McGough was in surgery all day this day and said come on to Birmingham and I will add you on as the last case of the day. So at 1pm we headed to Birmingham. I was prepped for surgery and by the end of the day my knee was repaired. Dr. McGough was able to save my meniscus by repairing it, which my mom says will be to my advantage later on in life.
Rehab began the next day and I remained non-weight bearing on crutches for the next 6 weeks, and after a lot of work I was able to get back to what I love to do.
I began experiencing a sharp pain in the back of my knee. In fear I had another tear, Dr. McGough ordered another MRI/Arthrogram that revealed an anchor had broken loose and was rubbing in the back of my knee. Surgery was scheduled for March 11th to remove the anchor. This was a simple procedure and after a short bout of physical therapy I was able to resume my activity.
Fast forward to April 2015, after my second surgery I tried out for Danceline (Pirouettes) at Winfield High School. I made the Danceline and I found my true love, dancing. After marching season ended, we began competition season and then I tried out for Winterguard and made the team. Upon getting ready for our first competition, I performed a dance move and felt a pop. I was terrified I had re-torn my meniscus. I experienced pain on the lateral side of my left knee again. My mom immediately called Dr. McGough and we saw him the next day in his office. He was willing to see us in between his surgical cases. He immediately ordered an MRI/Arthrogram which didn't reveal any thing of real significance. Therefore, he wanted to try an injection first because he is what my mom calls a conservative surgeon, which she likes and respects, she didn't want me to go through another surgery if we could help it. After a week of no improvement the decision was made to operate. On 2/12/16, Dr. McGough performed a knee scope that revealed another large tear of my lateral posterior horn meniscus. The decision was made to remove the torn area and a couple of anchors that had broken loose. He was able to save the rest of the meniscus to help reduce my chances of arthritis down the road.
I will begin rehab immediately and my goal is to return to dance as soon as possible. My recovery should be short since it was a meniscectomy vs a repair.
I'm so thankful for Dr. McGough, always treating me like family and basing his surgical decisions off what he would do if it were his own family. I'm glad I have been able to resume my activities after each surgery. I am also very glad he comes to our little town of Winfield, AL. We are so blessed to have such a compassionate and knowledgeable orthopedist in our town from such a renowned orthopedic group.
Thanks Dr. Wayne McGough for everything and helping me dance away my upcoming senior year!
