[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/04\/bens-acl-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/04\/bens-acl-story\/","headline":"Ben’s Story: Getting Back in the Game with Hard Work","name":"Ben’s Story: Getting Back in the Game with Hard Work","description":"It was the final minutes of a tournament basketball game in spring 2021, when Ben Thomas, 17, drove the baseline, planted his foot to turn, and felt a sudden pop and searing pain in the back of his left knee. \u201cThe pain was really bad for a moment, but it went away. I didn\u2019t think […]","datePublished":"2022-04-19","dateModified":"2026-07-16","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\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-614988684.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/GettyImages-614988684.jpg","height":325,"width":754},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/04\/bens-acl-story\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Sports Medicine"],"wordCount":731,"articleBody":"It was the final minutes of a tournament basketball game in spring 2021, when Ben Thomas, 17, drove the baseline, planted his foot to turn, and felt a sudden pop and searing pain in the back of his left knee.\u201cThe pain was really bad for a moment, but it went away. I didn\u2019t think it was that serious,\u201d says Ben, who sat out the rest of the game.Back home in Greensburg, Ben went to see the UPMC Sports Medicine athletic trainer at Greensburg Salem High School where he was a point guard on the boy\u2019s basketball team.\u00a0Barbara States, LAT, ATC, evaluated him and was immediately concerned.She consulted team doctor\u00a0Jeanne Doperak, DO, of UPMC Sports Medicine, who agreed Ben needed an MRI. When the results indicated a torn left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), they referred Ben to a UPMC Sports Medicine orthopaedic surgeon.A Team EffortBen, who aspires to play college basketball, was devastated to learn he needed reconstructive ACL surgery to regain full function of his knee. Recovery would take nine months.\u201cI was in shock. Every emotion was running through my head,\u201d says Ben, who was a junior at the time of his injury. \u201cBut I was determined to get back to playing. My goal was to do what the doctor said and work hard.\u201dIn May 2021, Ben underwent surgery at UPMC East to\u00a0replace the torn ACL with a quadriceps tendon from Ben\u2019s own leg. Two weeks later, he began physical therapy.Greensburg Salem is one of 75 partner high schools with UPMC Sports Medicine, which offers seamless and coordinated care from an injured athlete\u2019s diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation, and return to play. That partnership offered Ben the opportunity to work on his rehabilitation with the school\u2019s athletic trainers in addition to his regular physical therapy. Ben was then able to stretch out his physical therapy visits over his nine-month recovery.Once a week he worked with physical therapists at\u00a0UPMC Rehabilitation Institute\u00a0in Greensburg. But he spent five days a week working with Barbara and her husband, Mike States, MS, LAT, ATC, who are both athletic trainers at Greensburg Salem High School.\u201cWe\u2019re all part of the same team,\u201d says Barbara. \u201cWe collaborated with the physical therapists to supplement Ben\u2019s rehab program.\u201cMy goal was to help him recover and to keep him stimulated and active in the safest way possible. It gave him more of an edge,\u201d she adds.A Remarkable ComebackBen worked with Barbara and Mike throughout the summer and fall. They worked on different exercises assigned by the physical therapists and followed their lead on weight training protocols. As he progressed, they focused on building the strength of his entire body, not just his injured knee. They also worked on his movement, including landing and jumping mechanics.\u201cI felt like everyone was behind me. They all worked together and had everything planned out for me,\u201d says Ben. \u201cIt was tough. What kept me going was that desire to play basketball again.\u201dBefore being cleared to play, Ben had to undergo a\u00a0formal evaluation by his physical therapists\u00a0to ensure he was strong enough.In January \u2014 nine months after tearing his ACL \u2014 Ben was back on the court playing for the Greensburg Salem High School basketball team. In his first game, the point guard and team co-captain scored 40 points \u2014 a feat he repeated in the next game with another 40 points.Barbara described the game as \u201cthrilling.\u201d\u201cBen was ready. He put in the time and worked hard. It was so exciting to see him play without any fear. He just went out there and did what he is so good at doing,\u201d she says.\u201cIt felt really good to be back. I felt like everything was going in,\u201d says Ben, who looks forward to playing next year as a college freshman. He\u2019s received interest from several college coaches.\u201cI can\u2019t imagine myself not playing basketball. I love everything about it. I\u2019m grateful to everyone I worked with. They all made it as good an experience as possible and got me back as fast as they could.\u201dTo learn more about UPMC Sports Medicine or schedule an appointment, please call 1-855-937-7678 or\u00a0complete a form online.Editor's Note: This article was originally published on April 19, 2022, and was last reviewed on July 16, 2026."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"04","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/\/04\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Ben’s Story: Getting Back in the Game with Hard Work","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2022\/04\/bens-acl-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]