From Surgery Patient to Water Polo Champion in Four Months

Sixteen-year-old Sophia Uhlhorn-Thornton set a aim of getting again to taking part in water polo along with her highschool workforce after a knee damage. Her Stanford Medication Youngsters’s Well being care workforce helped her obtain that.

If you ask Sophia Uhlhorn-Thornton what she likes about taking part in water polo, the very first thing she’ll let you know is, “One of the best half is having the chance to be round folks, like my teammates, who I like whereas doing one thing that I like.”

She can also be a fierce competitor and stellar athlete. Her athleticism performed a serious position in Tam Excessive’s Marin County Athletic League (MCAL) water polo championship, as she scored three of eight objectives in opposition to rival Redwood Excessive. 

“In the beginning of the season, I felt like I wasn’t actually capable of play to my full potential,” Sophia mentioned. “However by that ultimate championship sport, I felt like I had a fairly good sport. It felt actually good to know that I used to be capable of win with the workforce, regardless that I needed to undergo a surgical procedure.”

A irritating knee damage

Earlier that yr, in March 2024, Sophia was making an attempt a Brazilian dance transfer that was taught throughout P.E. class. It concerned squatting down and spinning on one leg. Then, she felt her knee buckle.

Imaging at Stanford Medication Youngsters’s Well being confirmed her fears of a critical damage. Her kneecap had dislocated, tearing her medial patellofemoral ligament.

“When it occurred, I had a swim meet that day, so I used to be a little bit bit upset that I wouldn’t have the ability to take part,” Sophia recalled. “After I came upon I would wish surgical procedure, I used to be much more upset as a result of I knew it might influence my life—not simply competing in swim and water polo, however even simply strolling round.”

With kneecap dislocations, the severity of the damage is dependent upon what occurs to the cartilage of the knee. There are circumstances the place a kneecap dislocates and slips again into the socket with out inflicting a lot injury to the cartilage. However that wasn’t the case with Sophia.

“When her kneecap popped out, on its approach again in, it hit the femur bone and knocked off a bit of cartilage. In circumstances the place the cartilage breaks off in a single piece or perhaps a few smaller items, we will really restore it. In her case, we advisable surgical procedure to evaluate whether or not the cartilage was repairable, and likewise as a result of we don’t need unfastened items floating across the knee inflicting irritation and injury,” mentioned Molly Meadows, MD, pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Stanford Youngsters’s.

Sophia approached this setback as a real competitor does. She set a aim of getting again to taking part in water polo on day one of many season, and she or he had the suitable medical workforce by her facet to just do that.

A workforce method and grit result in championship

Sometimes, sufferers with Sophia’s damage take about six months to get again to sports activities. However as a result of Sophia performs water polo, which is usually a little bit gentler on the knees than another sports activities, Dr. Meadows mentioned she may probably return in 4 months, relying on how bodily remedy went.

“These of us who care for athletes know that sports activities are greater than one thing they do after faculty,” she mentioned. “I ensure to take the time to elucidate to sufferers that we’ve got the identical objectives. I believe the household was very receptive and did an ideal job of understanding each our short- and long-term objectives.”

To realize that, the workforce at Stanford Youngsters’s labored diligently behind the scenes to arrange bodily remedy classes as quickly as they’d a surgical procedure date. That concerned calling PT clinics nearer to Sophia’s residence to ensure she was on the schedule to begin as quickly as potential.

“It was wonderful,” mentioned Emily Uhlhorn, Sophia’s mother. “They scheduled her surgical procedure throughout spring break, so she may do the surgical procedure and get again within the pool on day one of many highschool season, which was precisely 4 months to the day.”

Dr. Meadows eliminated a number of small fragments of unfastened cartilage from Sophia’s knee and reconstructed the ligament that stabilizes the kneecap to keep away from future dislocations.

“In the course of the surgical procedure, I additionally obtained a pattern of Sophia’s cartilage, which permits us to truly develop her cartilage in a lab and use it to fill in cartilage defects if she develops ache sooner or later,” Dr. Meadows mentioned.

In the beginning, bodily remedy was powerful for Sophia. She was in a brace for six weeks, and she or he felt like she wasn’t enhancing.

“It was simply exhausting to get round and stay a standard life,” Sophia mentioned. “However I saved getting by means of it as a result of that might imply I’d have the ability to play water polo. My siblings are additionally very athletic, in order that was one other motivator to rock climb with them once more if I did all my bodily remedy.”

That motivation and grit paid off. She was again within the pool on day one like she’d deliberate, after which ended up profitable all of it.

“It’s an actual testomony to her,” Emily mentioned. “She had plenty of unhappy days the place she got here residence and was in ache, however she bought by means of it and persevered. I used to be so proud to observe her and her workforce not solely get to the championship sport, but in addition win it.”

By swim season, one yr after surgical procedure, Sophia was again and principally pain-free. Her swim workforce received the MCAL Championship, the primary time in a number of years that Tam received each the water polo and swim championships. Sophia was a champion herself, profitable the league within the 100 butterfly and taking part within the profitable 200 medley relay, in addition to getting third place within the 50 free and the 200 free relay. She was additionally named MCAL swimmer of the week twice throughout the season.

This fall, the Tam water polo workforce is off to an ideal begin, and Sophia is again to full energy, scoring six objectives and going six for seven within the first sport of the season in opposition to Las Lomas.

The Children’s Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Center at Stanford Medication Youngsters’s Well being presents a number of the finest pediatric orthopedic care within the nation at six locations all through the Bay Space, usually with same- or next-day appointments. Learn more >