Robert F. Laprade - The Knee Injury Bible

This book is intended to provide information, and is not intended as a substitute for the medical advice of a physician. You are advised to consult with your health care professional with regard to matters relating to your health, in particular regarding matters that may require diagnosis or medical attention. The information expressed in this book is based solely on the opinion of the authors, and may not reflect every doctor or medical institutions standpoint. This book is not endorsed by any organizations with whom the authors are or may be affiliated. The authors and the publisher specifically disclaim any liability, loss, risk or adverse effects, personal or otherwise, arising from the use or application of any of the contents of this book.

Copyright 2019 by LOCK Publications LLC

Foreword copyright 2019 by Joe Montana

Cover design by Kerry Rubenstein

Cover image MichaelSvoboda/Getty Images

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First Edition: October 2019

Published by Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc. The Lifelong Books name and logo is a trademark of the Hachette Book Group.

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Photography by Mitchell Kennedy

Illustrations by Andrew Evansen

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data has been applied for.

ISBNs: 978-0-7382-8483-5 (trade paperback), 978-0-7382-8482-8 (e-book)

E3-20190817-JV-NF-ORI

The authors would like to thank our families for supporting us throughout the process of completing this work. A special thank-you also goes out to Nicholas Kennedys siblings, Mitchell and Julia Kennedy, who supported the book through photography, feedback on early drafts, and serving as sounding boards using their personal experiences. We would also like to thank all the teachers and mentors who have helped to educate, inspire, and mold all the authors into the providers they are today. Specifically, we would like to thank Dr. John Feagin for his guidance and support throughout the years. Lastly, we would like to thank all the patient advocates who shared their stories for this book in the hope that their stories could educate and motivate future patients.

This book is dedicated to our patients as well as the many patients who will read this book in the future. We hope the information in this book will help them in their healing process and even enrich their lives.

T he sport of football has brought more into my life than I could have ever imagined. A brotherhood of lifetime bonds, a strong work ethic, a chance to see the world, and the opportunity to spend a career loving what I did. In my seventeen-season NFL career, I played in hundreds of games, threw thousands of passes, and was fortunate enough to compete on some of footballs biggest stages.

But playing the sport I love for so many years came with a price. The mileage I put in on the field was mileage that was taken from my post-football body. When I stepped off the field for the last time, I did so thinking that while my NFL career lay behind me, I had an entire active life ahead of me. My body had other reckonings for me.

The time I thought I was getting back became time I spent in doctors offices: consultations, x-rays, surgeries, physical therapy. Ive had elbow surgery, three neck fusions, and half a dozen knee surgeries. I also have arthritis in my elbows, hands, and knees. Ive been in and out of a doctors office enough times to have an honorary degree. Yet although I was fortunate to have access to the worlds greatest in medicine, advanced tools, and surgery methods, I still faced a fear of the unknown with each visit.

Hindsight being 20/20, knowledge is power. Early in my career, there was so much I didnt knowand still so much I dont know. What allowed me to be my best on field was the work I put in off-field: countless hours studying tendencies, learning the intricacies of my craft, educating myself on strengths and weaknesses of my opponents. Every big play, every single drive, every pass thrown was rooted in months or years of preparation and education. The more you know, the better primed you are to achieve your goals and succeed.

The same can be said for your knee: the more you know about it and its relationship to the rest of the body, the better prepared you can be to recover, and to stay healthy, strong, and without injury.

In The Knee Injury Bible, Dr. LaPrade, Dr. Chahla, Luke OBrien, and Dr. Kennedy have put together a book with that exact goal in mind: to educate and empower the patient. From their combined fifty-plus years of experience in sports medicine, they have written this book for you, beginning with injury and ending with recovery and covering everything in between. Having also been a knee patient himself, Dr. Kennedy offers further insight through the eyes of someone who has been there.

A resource like this would have been incredibly helpful for me during my own experiences with injury, and is a must-have for anyone with a knee injury, whether fresh or a years-old disability.

A utumn mornings in Vail, Colorado, have a certain feeling to them. Theres fresh dew on the ground, a crisp chill in the air, and a medley of yellow aspens dotting the valley. The year is 2012, and Im taking advantage of the cool weather, playing some flag football with a few friends from my work at a sports medicine clinic, most of whom happen to be doctors or medical students. The league may be amateur, but for this group of former competitive athletes, winning is definitely still a top priority.