Patient Stories

Growing up in a family of athletes, basketball guard Casey Santoro understood that injuries could be part of the game.

“My brother tore his quad in college football, one of my sisters tore her ACL and another sister dropped a 40-pound weight on her toe,” Casey said. “It’s just a reality in athletics.”

But she never could have expected what happened during her senior year at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU).

“We were practicing and getting ready to play Kentucky. I was doing what I do every day on the basketball court,” Casey said. “I went to push off, and boom, I heard a pop and went down hard.”

Her teammates and coaches assumed she had sprained her ankle, but Casey says she knew it was more than that.

“It didn’t feel right. I had a lot of pain and I was crying,” she said. “I’m not one to cry — I’m pretty tough.”

An ultrasound and an MRI revealed that Casey had ruptured her Achilles tendon and needed surgery. A rare injury in young women, Achilles tendon tears happen more frequently in men in their 30s and 40s.

“It’s a traumatic injury resulting from explosive force on the tendon,” said orthopedic surgeon James Guerra, MD (Naples, FL). “It’s common among basketball players. In the NBA, up to one percent of players suffer an Achilles’ tendon tear every year, and 35 percent of them never play at that level again.”

 

 

 

 

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But a minimally invasive technique is helping to change that.

Dr. Guerra repaired Casey’s Achilles using the Arthrex - PARS Achilles Midsubstance SpeedBridge™ Implant System, which requires a very small incision and uses knotless SwiveLock® anchors to fix the tendon in place and allow it to heal.

“This technique has been a game changer,” Dr. Guerra said. “The beauty of it is that not only can we perform this repair using a tiny incision, but we can also restore the tendon to the correct length and tension so it can heal with excellent rigid fixation. That is critical for the muscle to be able to work explosively again, which is what is required for athletes to return to a high level of sport.”

Following her successful surgery, Casey began the process of rebuilding her strength and preparing to return to basketball.

“We had to rebuild a strong foundation, which started with walking and progressed to practicing on the court again in about six months,” Casey said. “I was able to return to full-contact again eleven months after surgery.”

Dr. Guerra says that the surgical technique and Casey’s commitment to the rehab protocol allowed her to return to the basketball court without any restrictions.

“From the start, Dr. Guerra gave me hope, but he didn’t sugarcoat it,” Casey said. “I knew it was a tough injury to come back from, but in my mind, it wasn’t an option not to. I am really grateful for this procedure, and I know it will make me a stronger player and person going forward.”

Note: Casey has transferred to Youngstown State University.

Disclaimers: This is not medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by a surgeon or other qualified medical professional on the use of these products. You should talk with your physician or health care provider for more information about your health condition and whether Arthrex products might be appropriate for you. The surgeon who performs any surgical procedure is responsible for determining and using the appropriate techniques for surgical procedures on each individual patient. Arthrex recommends that surgeons be trained on the use of any particular product before using it in surgery. A surgeon must always rely on their own professional medical judgment when deciding whether to use a particular product when treating a particular patient. A surgeon must always refer to the package insert, product label, and/or directions for use before using any Arthrex product. Postoperative management is patient-specific and dependent on the treating professional’s assessment. Individual results will vary and not all patients will experience the same postoperative activity level or outcomes. Products may not be available in all markets because product availability is subject to the regulatory approvals and medical practices in individual markets. Please contact Arthrex if you have questions about the availability of products in your area.

This real patient was compensated for the time she took to share her experience.