Back on the mat after a torn ACL

“Missing the football season was disappointing,” says Joe Bendas of Mount Carmel, Pa. “Missing the upcoming wrestling season was unthinkable.”

During his sophomore year in high school, this multi-sport athlete’s knee gave out during a preseason football game. “I tore my ACL.”
 
Fortunately, Joe’s orthopaedic surgeon, Daniel Feldmann, MD, scheduled surgery almost immediately.
 
“Dr. Feldmann provided a realistic picture of what to expect,” says Joe’s mom, Kelly. To the family’s relief, Joe was a candidate for minimally invasive ACL repair instead of traditional reconstructive surgery. The surgery at Geisinger Woodbine Lane in Danville went smoothly, as did Joe’s recovery. “Joe was up and walking in two or three days with very little pain,” she says.
 
In December 2017, after four months of physical therapy, Joe was back on the mat for his team’s first big tournament. “It turned out to be a really good season,” says Joe, who won 10 more wrestling matches than last year and advanced to the District IV tournament.
 
Dr. Daniel Feldmann provides care for patients at Geisinger Medical Center.