Patient Name: Noah
Procedure: Knee Surgery
Provider: Dr. Baumbusch
Location: Sentara Martha Jefferson
During my junior year at Louisa County High School, I injured my right knee in off-season training. X-rays confirmed I had torn my lateral meniscus, which the doctor explained is a band of cartilage that cushions and stabilizes the knee.
I saw Dr. Clark Baumbusch, an orthopedic surgeon at Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital. He explained that the standard way to treat my injury would be to remove the damaged cartilage, which could cause long-term damage to my knee. But he said he was going to use a newer procedure, a partial lateral meniscectomy, that could preserve the meniscus and its cushioning.
The doctor explained that the surgery procedure he was going to use takes longer to recover from, but he said the extra time would be worth it. He told me he had done this surgery many times, so I felt comfortable letting him treat me.
After surgery, I had to staff off my feet for a month to give my knee time to heal. I then did six months of physical therapy to get my strength and mobility back.
The surgery and rehab definitely paid off. After missing the first half of my senior season at Louisa, I returned to the field, and earned first-team all-district and first-team all-region honors in 2019. Dr. Baumbusch even checked in with me via text messages after my games. He’s not only a great doctor, he’s a really cool guy.
I graduated from high school early, and have signed to play football with Old Dominion University. My knee feels ready for college football, and I feel 100 percent recovered.