The condition: Drew Martin knew the moment he felt a pop in his knee during a Friday night football game that the injury was serious. Soon after, his knee swelled up and he experienced severe pain and could not put weight on his leg.
However, so many friends and family members recommended Dr. Ciminiello at OrthoConnecticut that the three-sport high school athlete felt he was going to the best possible doctor to help him recover. After his first appointment, he felt even better. “Dr. Ciminiello made me feel so comfortable, and I trusted I’d be getting the right course of treatment. He played college baseball so he understands athletes, which made me feel like he understood what I was going through,” Drew explains.
The treatment: After an evaluation and tests, Dr. Ciminiello determined that Drew had torn both his ACL and meniscus, and sprained his MCL. Drew underwent surgery to repair the tears within a month. “I felt lucky that, even with Covid, I was able to have my surgery scheduled very quickly,” Drew adds, noting that other friends with similar injuries had to wait months to have surgery at other practices.
While the surgery was successful, Drew admits the first few weeks after were difficult because he was unable to stand. “Just sitting around was so hard for me” he recalls. Within two weeks he could get around on crutches and return to school, and after five weeks he was able to begin physical therapy at Motion Physical Therapy, located at OrthoConnecticut’s Riverview office. “Having my PT at the same place was really useful,” Drew explains, adding that it made communications between Dr. Ciminiello and the therapist very easy.
The result: While the typical timeline for an injury like Drew’s is 9-12 months of bi-weekly PT with daily home exercises to return to full function, Drew is determined to cut that down to six months. He is progressing much faster than expected, and can now run after just four months. This is due to both his diligence at PT, as well as his determination to participate in the last part of his senior year baseball season.
“A big part of my recovery has been mind set,” Drew admits. “Dr. Ciminiello explained to me early on that going slowly will be hard for someone like me, and it will be tough to see my teammates continue to play while I’m on the sidelines. He had me focus on the bigger picture, which has really helped me in my recovery.” He adds that setting weekly goals during PT has really helped. “You see results and it’s the best feeling.”
Dr. Ciminiello agrees with Drew about mindset during recovery. “For a young, healthy athlete, the hardest part of recovery from an injury is understanding that it will take some time and can’t be rushed so you can heal properly. Drew’s ability to set small goals and stay positive has significantly contributed to his amazing recovery.”
