Phil T.

I was seen by Dr Zwahlen in 2008 after suffering an injury during soccer practice in which, it turned out, I had torn 3/4 ligaments in my left knee (ACL, PCL & LCL). Having only been in the US for 1 week on my year of study abroad from the UK, it was a truly harrowing experience and not the way I wished to start my life in the US. From the outset, Dr Zwahlen was empathetic, honest, knowledgeable and safety conscious. All things you need when going through a life changing event. He opted for 2 surgeries. The first repaired my LCL and basically re-attached my knee to allow it to stabilise internally, and (in my head) meant my leg at least wouldn’t fall off. The second after 6 weeks used smaller incisions and repaired and reattached both my ACL and PCL through my bone. The surgeries were successful, and so began 12 months of rehabilitation to extend the range of movement and rebuild muscles that had atrophied during 12 weeks of not being used.

I have thought about this experience so often as one of the most challenging yet formative periods of my life. When asked whether I would go back and change the fact that I practiced for the soccer team, I say no, because it made me who I am today. That is in no small part thanks to Dr Zwahlen and the whole team at Cal Sports that were so professional and supportive.

During the first few years, I wrapped up my knee during and following exercise and it just felt a bit more secure. But over the last 4-5 years it has been as strong and perhaps stronger than my other knee. I have climbed Mt Kilimanjaro at 5,885m elevation, completed an Ironman 70.3 and in 2 months I will run a marathon in Melbourne in (hopefully) around 3 hrs.

Thank you so much for your help.

— Phil T.