Patella Realignment
Melissa Sutton, 26
Motocross rider
Patella Realignment
Big props to Dr. Mark on the incision, I will still have sexy legs! Anyway, working with Dr. Mark
was such a great experience. The knee I had operated on feels so much more solid than my "good" knee.
I have more patella pain now in the knee that I did not have the surgery on. I have every intention of
having Mark do the other one next year so I can have 2 reliable, pain free knees.
My name is Melissa and I am 26 and passionate about moto-x. I have had all kinds of patella pain and issues
since a crash this past July. After my original doc here in DE kept telling me to take more pain pills and
see him in 2 weeks, my husband and I sought out Dr. Mark.
It has been 6 weeks since my surgery, and I am loving life. He relocated the tibial tubercle in order to
put my knee into proper re-alignment and allow my knee cap to fall into the right place. I walk totally normal
and have such a great range of motion that people don't believe that I had anything done - until I show them my
kick ass scar and a photo of my x-ray with three big screws in my knee.
Big props to Dr. Mark on the incision, I will still have sexy legs! Anyway, working with Dr. Mark was such a
great experience. The knee I had operated on feels so much more solid than my "good" knee. I have more patella
pain now in the knee that I did not have the surgery on. I have every intention of having Dr. Mark do the other
one next year, so that I can have 2 reliable, pain free knees. I can't wait to get back to riding in just 2-3
more weeks! I could have never achieved those kinds of results with just therapy. And I was not willing to settle
for anything less than getting all of my function back and being pain free.
View the Postoperative results.
Sarah Garvey, 41
Restaurant Manager
Patella Realignment
I had been to three different doctors who all told me 'there’s nothing more we can do.' At 40 years old,
I was beginning to think that this was it - this is the way I will have to live, a life of pain. I even began
thinking of different careers, because I couldn’t continue in a career that required so much time on my feet.
The pain in my knee was intense.
So, despite three scopes and the frustration I had felt from other doctors, I went to see Dr. Sanders. I
knew he was doing great things for athletes.
He actually listened to me and was the first doctor to say...'we can fix this.' We went in and did what we
needed to do - and my recovery was fantastic. I cannot say enough about how much he has changed my life.
I injured my knee when I was younger, but the wear and tear resulting in the knee damage and pain I had
experienced for the past several years really came from my 22 years in the restaurant business. You're on
your feet a lot. I had had three different scopes - all with a difficult recovery and all with recurring pain.
I had been to three different doctors who told me "there's nothing more we can do." At 40 years old, I was
beginning to think that this was it - this is the way I will have to live, a life of pain. I even began thinking
of different careers, because I couldn't continue in a career that required so much time on my feet. The pain in
my knee was intense.
These doctors never considered doing anything else. In fact, they began to make me feel as though there was
something wrong with me, and not so much my knee. They made me feel as though I was just some "hysterical woman."
One even called me a "professional patient." It was a horrible feeling. I knew the pain I was in, and I knew it
was real.
So, despite three scopes and the frustration I had felt from other doctors, I went to see Dr. Sanders.
He actually listened to me and was the first doctor to say..."we can fix this." He asked questions and took
the time to hear the answers. He really takes care of you. I had complete faith in him. For the first time in
a long time I knew that when I walked out of that office things were going to be different.
We went in and did what we needed to do - and my recovery was fantastic. After the surgery, I walked from the
hospital to his office with no wheelchair, no crutches, nothing.
He believes in immediate mobility. When I made it to his office, he put me right on the bike!
This was so different from my previous procedures. And so were the results. I was on the stationary bike for
an hour the day after surgery and every day after that. His optimism motivates you. He knows what you can do
better than you do and it makes it easier to continue with the rehabilitation - which is amazing. I had less
pain and a far better recovery from the more serious patella realignment Dr. Sanders performed than I did with
any of my scopes.
I was back at work in 10 days! With no pain!
His therapy is fantastic. I went initially three times a week and worked with him and his trainer and now
I continue on my own - still riding the stationary bike everyday. Not only have I really built up the strength
in my knee, I have lost a bunch of weight. I feel healthier than I have in years and want to do more and more.
Before it was painful just walking around the mall, but now I'm doing more than I've done in years. Now I know
that it didn’t have to be that way and it's very important to me to get that message across. I'm running circles
around my younger workers!
Dr. Sanders' plan is not just designed to help recover from an injury - but to improve your entire state of
being! He's up front and to the point. And the confidence he has in your outcome just spills over to you. I'll
eventually have to have my other knee done and I'll let no one else touch me.
It's hard to explain how scary it is when you begin to think that what you've done for so many years you may not
be able to do anymore. I cannot say enough about how much he has changed my life.
Melanie McVey, 20
Sports Medicine Student at Montgomery College
College Station, TX
Though my Patella Realignment surgery was much more serious than anything that had happened to my knee previously,
I had very little pain following the procedure and began a recovery process that didn't take any longer than dislocations
I have had. It's only been a month since the surgery, and Dr. Sanders gave me a clean bill of health!
A car hit me and at first thought, I had just dislocated my knee again. However, I soon realized that the pain was
different - much sharper and constant - so I went to see Dr. Sanders. He was very thorough and detailed about the extent
of my injuries and what we needed to do.
First, I was started on a series of exercises, which I did faithfully. Unfortunately, my kneecap continued to dislocate.
I was scared about the surgery, but he just speaks so confidently it calms you. I knew he would do the right thing.
The surgery didn't last long and I was immediately given a lesson on the CPM
machine (Continuous Passive Motion), so that I could begin exercising my leg. He explained how important this was. So, I did
everything he told me, including additional exercises on a large exercise ball, as well as on a Shuttle he had delivered to
my house.
He's so enthusiastic about your recovery - you want to please him. Believe me, if you're lazy about it, he'll let
you know! At the follow-up visit, I was eager to show him how much I could accomplish since the surgery. He makes me feel proud
that I'm doing something right. I think a lot of people just aren't encouraged like that and don't realize what they can do -
even with such an injury. He's a terrific surgeon and motivator!
