After a two year hiatus, former patient Megan Macfarlance returns to the soccer field “ten times better.” At the start of her Freshman season the Burlington, Vermont native suffered a devastating knee injury during a high school match. At the time, Megan was a starting on the varsity squad and showed great potential. In the second game of her first season Megan suffered a complex knee injury, tearing her ACL, PCL, MCL and meniscus. Doctors told her that she would never be able to play contact sprots again, which meant never playing soccer again.
Determined, Megan and her family traveled for a second opinon to The Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado to see Dr. Robert LaPrade. Specializing in the treatment of complex knee injuries, Dr. LaPrade knew exactly how to treat Megan’s injury. “He told her up front ‘if I do this surgery there’s a protocol that you need to follow afterward for physical therapy that’s pretty strict and very detailed,’” Megan’s mother said. “The key to the success of this surgery is the work after the fact.”
Following surgery Megan started intensive physical therapy at the Howard Head Physical Theraphy Center while continuing her treatment at Essex Physical Therapy. After following the detailed physical therapy treatment, Megan could not begin explosive lateral movement until she got cleared at her six-month checkup. It was not until the end of her Sophmore season that Megan was able to play on the field for a few short minutes.
Now starting her Junior season, Megan is leading the team as a captain. She continues to wear a carbon fiber brace that stretches well above and below her repaired knee and only weighing less than a pound. “I’m happy every time I get on the field,” Megan said. “It’s just another opportunity for me because I have to think about no matter if I’m not playing my best or I am, I worked my hardest to get back here. I just have to play for me now at this point, I guess. It’s an awesome feeling.”
To read Megan’s full story, please click here.
