Emily

ACL Injury

Throughout high school I was a high-level gymnast and had won 3 state championships with my team. During my junior year I was doing a full-twisting dismount off beam when I landed wrong and heard a loud pop in my knee. My athletic trainer sent me to an urgent care who believed I was fine and advised me to wait a week. My parents and I knew that something was wrong and so we went to knee surgeon Dr. Jorge Chahla for a second opinion. I was heartbroken to hear that I had completely torn my ACL and meniscus. This was my first serious injury, so I was scared and didn’t know what to expect. After I met with Dr. Chahla and his team I knew I was in the best hands and felt immediate relief. He personally addressed my concerns with confidence and gave me hope for recovery. After my surgery my recovery was way harder than I had anticipated. As a gymnast I was always moving and very active, so it was challenging taking things slow. Some days were harder than others and I had a few setbacks but Dr. Chahla encouraged me that I would get back to where I once was. My road to recovery was long with tons of physical therapy but it was rewarding to watch my hard work pay off and to get back to the things I love.