FIXING A MYSTERY INJURY PLAYING THROUGH PAIN ALMOST SIDELINED THIS ATHLETE. FINDING THE RIGHT SPECIALIST HELPED MAKE HIM A CHAMPION.
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few years ago, Hunter Pappas injured his right knee playing on Wall Township High School’s football team. It concerned him enough to get an MRI, but the imaging test didn’t reveal an obvious injury, so he kept playing, thinking it was just an annoying case of tendinitis. But the pain didn’t go away. Several more doctor visits also failed to find the source of the discomfort. Pappas tried physical therapy, rest, knee bracing and anti-inflammatory medications to help ease the pain, but they didn’t resolve the recurring problem. “It didn’t hurt that much when walking normally,” says Pappas. “But it was hard to walk up stairs, and it hurt to do squats or get into my football stance.” His love of football kept him playing even though he was in pain. “It was pretty tough,” he says. “I just pushed through it because PATRICK S. BUCKLEY, MD I wanted to play.”
Finding a specialist to accurately diagnose and treat a knee injury kept Hunter Pappas on the field for a championship college season.
Healthy Together
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Spring 2022
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