Injured Sarasota Woman Returns to Skiing and Riding Within Two Months

6/28/2021

This article originally appeared in the June issue of Health and Wellness and was written by Heidi Smith, contributor

The first time Priscilla Gratton injured her knee, she was 13 years old, roller-skating with friends.

The next time, she was an adult playing tennis. Both injuries required surgery, so at age 66, the physically active Sarasota woman wasn’t surprised that her knee became painful, with clicking and popping sensations.

“Then one day, I was just walking along, and my knee gave out. I hit the deck,” Gratton recalled. “I had plans to go skiing with my family in a couple of months, and I wasn’t going to miss out because of my knee.”

A family member recommended North Port orthopedic surgeon Jason Collins, M.D., with Gulf Coast Medical Group. Dr. Collins is a board-certified member of the medical staff at Venice Regional Bayfront Health. He specializes in sports medicine and minimally invasive treatments for joint preservation.

“We generally start with conservative, non-operative treatments,” Dr. Collins explained. “If the injury requires surgical treatment or a patient doesn’t improve with conservative approaches, then we look at minimally invasive surgical procedures. Our goal is to return patients to full function, including athletics, as quickly and painlessly as possible.

“When someone is very active and has pain and clicking in the knee, we’re concerned about the meniscus, which is the knee’s shock absorber,” Dr. Collins continued. “When I examined Priscilla, she felt tenderness where the knee bends. Manipulating her knee, I could replicate the clicking and popping. An MRI showed a fairly large, loose body (fragment of bone) in her knee and a small tear in the inner meniscus.”

Dr. Collins and Gratton discussed arthroscopic surgery, in which the surgeon uses minimally invasive techniques to go inside the knee to make repairs. Gratton was eager to move ahead so she could recover in time for the family ski vacation.

“Dr. Collins was so sweet and scheduled my surgery almost immediately,” said Gratton, whose outpatient surgery was performed at Venice HealthPark. “I think Dr. Collins is awesome. He has a great personality and is very caring. Everything with the surgery went so smoothly.”

Dr. Collins described the bone fragment to be like a marble in Gratton’s knee. “I removed the fragment and trimmed the meniscus where it had a small tear. I saw Priscilla a week and a half later, and she was doing well. All of her symptoms were resolved or significantly improved. I saw her again just before her ski trip and told her as long she was careful, she could ski.”

Less than seven weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery, Gratton was skiing intermediate runs with her family in the Colorado Rockies. She has since returned to her other favorite activities – horseback riding, golf and tennis.

“As active as I am, I didn’t need to go to rehab (rehabilitative therapy),” Gratton said happily. “When I got back to riding after this surgery, it felt better to ride. My knee joint feels much looser than before. I have the flexibility back. I ride two horses in the mornings and play golf or tennis in the afternoons.”

Dr. Collins said with sports medicine, the focus is on keeping active patients happy and healthy.

“Priscilla went from barely being able to walk to getting back to all her activities,” he said. “That’s what we hope for when we treat these patients.”

Dr. Collins sees patients at Gulf Coast Medical Group in North Port. To schedule an appointment, call 844-406-1007. To take a free joint pain assessment, visit gulfcoastmedicalgroup.com/JointPain.

Priscilla Gratton returned to her favorite activities, including horseback riding and skiing, in less than two months after minimally invasive surgery on her injured knee.

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