Patient Stories
Sutter Orthopaedic Institute
Kelly – Grand Slam
Kelly is a die-hard softball player, the type who still hustles for the ball at age 46 and turns out year after year to play with the same team (the “Steal Togethers”). So, during the season championship game when she returned a ball from left center field and felt shooting pain in her left knee, she gave it some ice and returned to the field. It wasn’t until days later that Jeffrey Bergeson, D.O., a Sutter Medical Group orthopedic surgeon, gave her the bad news: a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a slight tear in the meniscus, the cartilage that cushions and positions the knee joint. Surgery was the only option.
In the weeks before the operation, Kelly limped around unsteadily. She was nervous. “This was my first surgery and I was scared to death. But Dr. Bergeson made me feel so comfortable and assured me things would go well. He spent a lot of time explaining things to me, in terms I could understand,” said the real estate agent, wife and mother of two, who lives in Auburn.
Now, several months after the surgery, Kelly says the recovery has been much less painful than she anticipated. She continues physical therapy and must wear a brace on her knee. But she’s back on the field practicing with the Steal Togethers, and looking forward to another great season.
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