Just before Christmas, Ellamae C. was playing a scrimmage soccer match when she suffered a serious injury. The fourteen-year-old had planted one foot and her left knee twisted in the air. After assessing her injury, an athletic trainer recommended watching it for a week. With the holidays, she waited to have it looked at. Just after New Year’s, she and her mother came into Vero Orthopaedics and she underwent an MRI scan.
Ellamae was feeling better, and she and her family were hoping she would be cleared. Unfortunately, they got the news that her knee had significant damage. Her ACL was torn, her meniscus was torn, and she had additional trauma to the knee. This all meant that she would need to undergo a complex and difficult treatment process if she wanted to recover.
A couple days later, fellowship-trained sports medicine specialist Dr. John Peden called and wanted to further discuss his recommendations at the office. In the meantime, Ellamae’s grandmother had done some research and sent Ellamae’s mom, Brianne, some information on the BEAR® Implant for ACL repair. A brand-new treatment, the Bridge Enhanced ACL Restoration Implant was designed to help the patient’s ACL heal itself, which made it an exciting prospect for Ellamae and her family.
To their surprise, it turned out that Dr. Peden was the only doctor in the area offering the BEAR Implant procedure. This meant that she was able to receive the treatment without having to travel far from home.
In January 2023 at The Advanced Center for Surgery, Ellamae became the first patient in Indian River County to receive the BEAR Implant treatment. This was a historic moment for Dr. Peden and his team, as they were able to use their expertise and the latest medical technology to help treat Ellamae’s injury.
“The [Vero Orthopaedics] office was just so fabulous, getting us into surgery so quickly,” said Brianne. “Everyone there was so wonderful. The surgery was great, and the whole time I had people coming out and telling me how she was doing all throughout.”
Since her procedure, Ellamae has been rehabilitating, doing physical therapy, and working toward her goal of playing soccer again next winter. Although she still has work ahead of her, she is making steady progress and remains optimistic about her future in soccer.
“She is doing really well. She feels great, and she’s been feeling good for a long time,” adds Brianne. “Our experience has been wonderful. I don’t have anything that I can say that isn’t just fabulous about how everything has gone so far!”
Thanks to the skill of her doctor and care team, her own hard work, and the support of her loved ones, Ellamae is well on her way to recovery. With leading-edge treatments like the BEAR Implant procedure available to patients like her locally at Vero Orthopaedics, there is hope for injured athletes and active people throughout the region.
If you’ve experienced a knee injury, visit with Dr. Peden or a member of our sports medicine team in Vero Beach or Sebastian. Call (772) 569-2330 or schedule an appointment online now.
