Lance

Meniscus Injury, Knee Malalignment

I came to knee surgeon Dr. Jorge Chahla in November 2019 with a torn meniscus. I had torn it during a tennis tournament and needed to have it repaired. After a few weeks of physical therapy and cortisone shots, we agreed to have the surgery. In December 2019, I went under the knife, everything went better than expected. I then went thru many months of rehabilitation and was on my way to getting back on the court. I was excited to get be able to able to play competitively again.

In late June 2020, my same knee started to give me serious problems. I did all the usual things, ice, rest, elevation and a brace.  Nothing helped the situation. So, I reached out to Dr. Chahla again. Meeting with Dr. Chahla and Emily in July, I found out that I needed a second knee surgery.  This time I needed a cartilage transplant, tibia realignment and a few minor cleanups. We talked about my future with tennis and this was pretty much my only option. As the date approached, Dr. Chahla’s team was in contact every step of the way.

As the week of my surgery came, I found out that I would need a stem cell injection to speed up the healing process. Dr. Chahla’s team walked me thru the process seamlessly. The day of my surgery went better than anyone could have hoped.  Dr. Chahla couldn’t have been more pleased with the outcome. He started me on my therapy within a few days after surgery.

My rehabilitation protocol is amazing. Marc Gamble and Kim Benge at ATI Darien have followed Dr. Chahla’s instructions to the letter. I started this round of rehabilitation by not being able to do much without my crutches and brace to now being able to do agility drills, lift weights and walk many miles every day.  Most important for me is that i am pain free and starting to run and play tennis again.

I am forever in debt to Dr. Chahla, Emily and Mary Kate (his PA), the staff at Oak Park hospital, the staff at Midwest Orthopedic and Marc and Kim.  All of them have the utmost professionalism and compassion for each person.  They treated me not just as a patient but as a person who has goals and aspirations to be able to compete again at high level.

Thank you Dr. Chahla,  Emily and Mary Kate