Patient Stories

Even after all the roles Ryan Dorsey has played in his acting career, his favorite is still the one he holds in real life – dad to his 9-year-old son Josey.

“He is the sweetest kid,” Ryan said. “We love to play fight and have fun together.”

In that same spirit, Josey decided it would be funny to push his dad into a swimming pool — in all his clothes — on a crisp spring day.

“I was standing on one foot, bending down to touch the water with my fingers to see how cold it was. While I was standing on my tiptoes, Josey pulled a “prank” and pushed me in, shoes and all,” Ryan remembered. “It was a split-second decision and instead of just jumping in, I tried to stop myself. I hyperextended my knee and fell in anyway. In hindsight, I should not have resisted and just fallen in.”

The searing pain in his left knee instantly signaled that something was wrong.

“It was a sharp pain, unlike anything I’ve experienced, and I have been hurt plenty in my life,” Ryan said. “It was very unfamiliar and very uncomfortable.”

Over the next couple of weeks, he tried to work through the pain, but it persisted and prevented Ryan from doing things he loves, like playing basketball and doing lower body exercises at the gym. That’s when he reached out to his childhood friend and orthopedic surgeon, Chad D. Lavender, MD (Huntington, WV).

Dr. Lavender ordered an MRI and discovered that Ryan had torn his meniscus, which he treated using Nano arthroscopy.

“Ryan is a patient who really needed to get back to his life and his career with minimal downtime after the surgery,” Dr. Lavender said. “Nano arthroscopy is performed with a very small incision and the surgery can be done with less trauma to the joint than with traditional arthroscopy.”

The partial meniscectomy was successful. Within 48 hours Ryan was able to squat without pain. After two weeks, he was jogging and within six weeks he was back to work and jumping off the hood of a car for a scene.

“My recovery was so quick,” Ryan said. “I’ve had no swelling; only minimal scarring and I feel really good. This new technology is fascinating. I wouldn’t have guessed how quickly I would be back on my feet.”

And as for Josey and the prank that led to all of this?

“He’s past it now, but I have definitely reminded him of it a few times,” Ryan laughed. “We’re back to play fighting, just not near any swimming pools.”

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.

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This real patient was compensated for the time he took to share his experience.

Physician is a paid consultant of Arthrex, Inc.