As athletes have become stronger and the number of games they’re playing has increased, the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears also has increased. “We’re making people bigger and stronger than they were 20 years ago and the amount of force generated is much higher. But their ligaments are still the same size,” says K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center.  

Third-year physical therapy students at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, learned about the importance of knee extension, how to provide evidence-based care and how to establish relationships with referring physicians during a four-hour visit by a team from Shelbourne Knee Center on February 20, 2019. K.

Rodney Benner, MD, understands what injured athletes want and need. The orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center played baseball, basketball and football at Tri-County High School, in Wolcott, Indiana, and was a pitcher on the baseball team at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.

William J. Claussen, MPT, decided to become a physical therapist after he ruptured his Achilles tendon playing soccer. At Shelbourne Knee Center, he takes care of patients’ knee problems with confidence and conducts research to help physical therapists in other practices improve care for their patients with knee injuries and problems. 

Disclosure: Dr. Shelbourne is an unpaid consultant for the IdealKnee™. 

When Jeff Sharpe was doing rehab after surgery for a meniscus tear, he used the prototype of a new device, the IdealKnee™, to regain full knee extension. “My doctors were amazed at how quickly I was back playing soccer with full range of motion,” says Sharpe, owner of TS Ideal Products. 

On the first nice day of spring in April 2015, Kendall Thompson went for a bike ride with her mother and her dog. The dog was on a leash attached to Kendall’s bike. When the dog stopped abruptly, Kendall’s bike snapped around and she injured her left knee. 
 

Darby Bevis has been playing soccer since she was three years old. “Soccer is a really creative game,” says the midfielder from Mooresville, North Carolina. “That’s why I love it.” A high school senior, Darby plays mostly for the Community School of Davidson and the Charlotte Soccer Academy. 

Adam Norris started working in clinical research by chance. After earning his BS in communications, secondary education and history at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, he spent a few years as a healthcare administrator.