[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/08\/acl-injury-kenny-clark-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/08\/acl-injury-kenny-clark-story\/","headline":"Recovering from Multiple ACL Injuries: Kenny’s Story","name":"Recovering from Multiple ACL Injuries: Kenny’s Story","description":"Four years since his second knee injury, Kenny a recent graduate of Washington and Jefferson College is now pursuing a career in medicine.","datePublished":"2018-08-13","dateModified":"2023-04-17","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","name":"Sports Medicine","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/sports-medicine-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/sports-medicine\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/football.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/football.jpg","height":327,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/08\/acl-injury-kenny-clark-story\/","about":["Sports Medicine","UPMC Stories"],"wordCount":570,"articleBody":"A tight end for the Greensburg Salem High School Golden Lions, Kenny Clark lined up for a play under the Friday night lights. What happened next would lead to a series of events that would ultimately inspire a career.\u201cAfter the ball was snapped, I planted my left leg to step forward with my right foot but was immediately grabbed by an opponent,\u201d he explains. \u201cAs I fell to the side, I could feel my knee tear.\u201dUPMC Sports Medicine\u2019s Mike States, a certified athletic trainer and the team\u2019s athletic trainer, \u00a0rushed to Kenny\u2019s side. Using the Lachman test, he determined that the anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL in Kenny\u2019s left knee was loose and might require surgery.Learn more about the ACL Injury Prevention Program at UPMC Sports Medicine.\u00a0The Path to UPMCVolker Musahl, MD, an orthopaedic surgeon and medical director at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, was in the midst of a research study on patients with ACL tears. Kenny, who wanted to pursue a career in medicine, contacted Dr. Musahl in hopes of becoming part of that study.Further testing revealed that Kenny also had torn the medial collateral ligament (MCL) and meniscus, making him ineligible for the study. \u201cI wasn\u2019t able to be part of the study, but I ended up having Dr. Musahl, a phenomenal doctor, as my orthopaedic surgeon,\u201d Kenny says.Within two weeks after surgery, Kenny started physical therapy at a rehabilitation center close to his home. Two to three times a week, he worked on regaining strength in his left knee. To help Kenny prepare for his senior year of football, cutting and agility exercises were slowly added to his physical therapy regimen. At school, Mike States worked with Kenny on exercises to continue his rehabilitation.RELATED: 8 Tips on Preventing ACL InjuryDeja Vu:\u00a0Another ACL InjuryThen it happened again. Nearly a year after his first injury, Kenny injured his right knee.\u201cI was playing tight end and went to block my opponent who pushed against my right leg,\u201d says Kenny. \u201cI was in so much pain that I knew immediately it had happened again.\u201dImaging tests and a followup appointment with Dr. Musahl showed that Kenny had torn his ACL, MCL, poster cruciate (PC) ligament, and meniscus. Due to the severity of the MCL injury, Dr. Musahl immediately scheduled surgery to repair it. Two months later, Kenny had surgery on the torn ACL.\u201cBefore he operated, Dr. Musahl took the time to really explain the ACL and MCL procedures. While I may have not completely understood what was happening, I appreciate that he took the time to tell me what he was going to do to help me,\u201d adds Kenny.Inspired by His CareKenny graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a degree in biochemistry, Intent on pursuing a career in medicine, four years after the second knee injury, Kenny returned to UPMC Sports Medicine as a college intern in orthopaedics.Dr. Musahl and UPMC Sports Medicine staff not only helped him heal from significant sports related injuries, they also strengthened his resolve to pursue a career in orthopaedic surgery. \u201cAt UPMC Sports Medicine, you get top of the line care and a full experience you are not going to regret,\u201d says Kenny. \u201cEveryone who works here \u2014 surgeons, physician assistants, and physical therapists \u2014 are phenomenal and provide top notch care.\u201d   "},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2018","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"08","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/\/08\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Recovering from Multiple ACL Injuries: Kenny’s Story","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2018\/08\/acl-injury-kenny-clark-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]