RETURNING RYAN JENSEN TO PLAY AFTER CAREER-THREATENING KNEE INJURIES

On the second day of training camp in 2022, Tampa Bay Buccaneers center Ryan Jensen suffered six major knee injuries—ACL, PCL, MCL and meniscus tears, tibial head fracture and knee cartilage fracture—when another player fell on the outside of his left leg. The first five doctors he saw all recommended surgery.

With treatment from well-known knee experts, including K. Donald Shelbourne, MD, an orthopedic surgeon at Shelbourne Knee Center, and a lot of hard work by Jensen, the 31-year-old was able to return to play for the Bucs in 172 days— without a single surgery.

“It was a pretty severe injury,” Jensen said in an interview with BucsGameday, a Tampa Bay Buccaneers newsletter. “I was fortunate that I didn’t have to have surgery.”

Healing Without Surgery

Mike McCartney, Jensen’s agent, knew that surgery could result in complications that would end Jensen’s NFL career. McCartney turned to orthopedic surgeon

Chad Prodromos, MD, who had treated McCartney with stem cells after failed back surgery.

Dr. Prodromos told McCartney that surgery would likely result in scarring, a loss of range of motion, and overall poor results. He referred Jensen to Dr. Shelbourne, who has pioneered a research-backed, nonoperative approach to treating many knee injuries.

Jensen first saw Dr. Shelbourne and Laura Bray-Prescott, PT/LATC/ CATC, a physical therapist/athletic trainer at Shelbourne Knee Center, on August 1, 2022, a few days after he was injured. “By having a surgeon and a physical therapist work together closely, we came up with the best treatment plan for Ryan,” says Bray-Prescott.

After reviewing the diagnostic tests done in Florida and examining Jensen’s knee, Dr. Shelbourne agreed with Dr. Prodromos that Jensen could probably heal without surgery. Research conducted at Shelbourne Knee Center relevant to Jensen’s injuries shows that:

• MCL and PCL tears can heal with immobilization and

Physical Therapy

• Many meniscus tears do not need surgery

• The ACL only needs surgical repair if it has not healed after all the other injuries have been addressed

“Most surgeons only know how to fix people with surgery,” says Dr. Shelbourne. “Not every knee injury requires surgery.”

First Step:

Regain Knee Extension

Before Dr. Shelbourne recommended that surgery could be delayed or possibly not needed, he wanted Jensen to achieve extension in his injured knee equal to his other knee. He did this in just one physical

RETURNING RYAN JENSEN TO PLAY AFTER CAREER-THREATENING KNEE INJURIES

therapy session with Bray-Prescott.

Next, Dr. Shelbourne put Jensen in a leg cast for one week to heal the MCL tear. Jensen stayed in a hotel in Indiana, with his leg elevated above his heart to minimize swelling, and walked only to use the bathroom.

When Jensen returned to Shelbourne Knee Center a week later, Dr. Shelbourne removed the cast and re-examined his knee. The MCL, PCL and ACL were all stable. Physical therapy at home was now clearly the best option.

Home-Based PT Program Promotes Healing

Jensen returned to Florida with a long leg immobilizer for weightbearing activities, instructions for his home physical therapy program, an Ideal Knee and a yardstick. The leg immobilizer protected Jensen’s leg until his quadriceps were strong and stable enough to walk without it. The Ideal Knee, designed by Dr. Shelbourne and marketed by

TS Ideal Products, makes it easier for patients to restore knee extension. Jensen used the yardstick to measure extension, flexion and swelling.

Jensen’s customized physical therapy program focused on restoring range of motion first, then building quadriceps tone, strength and gait training. He did most of his rehab with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers athletic trainer, using exercises provided by Shelbourne Knee Center and with weekly monitoring by Bray-Prescott. As Jensen progressed, Bray-Prescott added new exercises. Jensen continued to have supervision with the team trainer, Bobby Slater, and Alex Guerrero, teammate Tom Brady’s personal trainer.

By mid-November, Jensen had equal extension in both knees, just 3 degrees of difference in flexion, and strong control of and strength in his quadriceps. Now that Jensen's leg was stable, Dr. Prodromos

Outcomes Research Shows What Works Best for Knee Injuries

Over 41+ years, the Shelbourne Knee Center Research Program has collected data on patient outcomes and factors related to those outcomes for more than 15,760 patients. The research process includes annual email surveys and objective evaluations (for surgical patients) during free follow-up visits.

Research results on nonoperative treatment show that:

• There is no evidence that surgery is better than physical therapy for PCL tears.1,2

• About 80% of all meniscus tears will get better with appropriate physical therapy.3

• Nonoperative treatment for MCL tears can provide excellent stability and good to excellent functional outcomes in patients with combined ACL-MCL injuries.4

Also, acute surgery in patients with combined knee ligament injuries can lead to stiffness. ACL injuries combined with MCL and/or PCL injuries can initially be treated nonsurgically and reconstructed later if necessary.5