Case Study
Rosalie, 14.
A county hockey player whose ACL tear from a ski fall was reconstructed, and a patient year of rehab that got her back to every sport she loves.
Rosalie, 14, played hockey for Surrey County. Skiing with her family, she landed awkwardly after a nasty fall and her knee swelled up immediately, but by the end of the week the swelling had gone down, so she and her family assumed it was fine. Four weeks later, playing netball at school, her leg gave way.
Her mum Claudia took her to A&E, where she was referred to Mr Paul Trikha. After examining Rosalie and reviewing her MRI scans, he advised that she had torn her anterior cruciate ligament. In cases such as Rosalie’s, Mr Trikha recommends an ACL reconstruction, where the torn ligament is removed and a surgical tissue graft inserted in an arthroscopic keyhole operation.
Following the operation Rosalie couldn’t play sport, but she could walk and start her exercise programme very quickly. Because she was still a child, she had to wait longer to recover than the six months a professional athlete with daily physio might need. Her recovery took more than twelve months. A year off sport has a huge impact on a very sporty child, but the support from her physio, her school and at home helped her through, and she is now determined to become an orthopaedic surgeon.
Now a year on, Rosalie is able to do everything she could before the injury, without a brace: hockey at club and county level, lacrosse and rounders for Guildford High School’s A teams, netball, A-squad swimming, tennis for her club and school, athletics and skiing, and she has just passed her Open Water scuba diving course.
“I would suggest that parents stay calm and be supportive throughout this process. Make sure they do their exercises and listen to their physio and surgeon, and try to find them a hobby that doesn’t involve much use of the knee so that the year goes faster and is more enjoyable.”Claudia, Rosalie’s mother
“This experience has been hard on Rosalie mentally and physically. A lot of effort has been put in to get back where she is. At the end of the recovery, everything that has been done was worth it.”Claudia, Rosalie’s mother
“I am so pleased to see Rosalie back competing at a high level in hockey. Her and her family’s hard work in terms of her rehabilitation have paid off, and I’m delighted that Rosalie wants to enter the medical profession!”Mr Paul Trikha