Meg’s Story: Three Minimally-Invasive Surgeries In Five Years
When it comes to orthopedic patients, Meg Conover is jokingly called a “frequent flyer.” Within five years, she had three serious injuries. Each required minimally-invasive surgery, each with James Klosterman, MD, of Premier Orthopedics.
Meg was a senior and competitive gymnast at Troy Christian High School when her first injury occurred. “We were at the state gymnastics qualifying event. I did my first tumbling pass and heard a pop,” she recalls. Efforts to work through the pain were fruitless, and eventually Meg had her first appointment with Dr. Klosterman. “He knew exactly what it was, a torn ACL. But he ordered a scan to confirm his hunch and determine the extent of the tear,” she says.
After an already-planned vacation to Yosemite, which was approved by Dr. Klosterman, Meg had all-inside ACL surgery at Good Samaritan North (now Miami Valley Hospital North). General anesthesia and a femoral nerve block got her through the procedure without pain, and Meg went home the same day. She cheered her teammates from the sidelines as they competed at the state gymnastics meet.
It was four years later that Meg next met with Dr. Klosterman. Now a college graduate, she says “I was playing rugby on a women’s club team, got tackled and hit the ground hard.” She was most worried about a possible concussion. “But when I got up I realized my arm wasn’t swinging like it should. I looked down and saw a huge lump on my shoulder.”
In the Miami Valley Hospital North Emergency Room, Meg’s X-rays confirmed she had suffered a grade three AC joint separation. The next day she met with Dr. Klosterman, who carefully explained her treatment options. “He was very up-to-date on what recent studies showed about injuries like mine,” she says.
After reviewing her options, Meg, with input from Dr. Klosterman, opted for AC joint repair surgery to implant an internal brace in her shoulder. The brace would stabilize the joint while it healed. “He didn’t do anything with the ligaments surrounding the joint because new studies showed that they heal better on their own,” Meg explains. Not only was the procedure quick, the recovery, including physical therapy, was quick, too.
Months later Meg was out for a run, hit a lump in the ground, and immediately knew something was wrong. In disbelief, she called Dr. Klosterman’s office, where an ultrasound confirmed she tore her Achilles tendon. A week later she had surgery, done with a percutaneous technique, and her third round of recovery began. The percutaneous technique can speed the recovery time for Achilles tendon repair.
Today Meg is ready to retire her frequent flyer status, and hopes she’ll never need another orthopedic surgery. But if she does, she knows who she’ll call. “Dr. Klosterman and all of his staff are amazing. I just love them all,” she says.
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