Patient Story · Video
From recurrent knee swelling — back to volleyball 3 to 5 times a week.
After a prior ACL and meniscus surgery left Jennifer with recurrent knee swelling, Dr. Andreas Gomoll and Dr. Sabrina Strickland performed a combined high tibial osteotomy and ACL reconstruction. Two years later: 108+ Pilates classes and back to playing volleyball 3–5 times a week.
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In Jennifer's words
Two surgeries, one recovery, back to the sport she loves.
The surgery completely changed my life. I was able to get back into volleyball, something that I really wanted to do.
My name is Jennifer. I am a project manager in a logistics company. I like to play volleyball and Pilates in my free time. I got into volleyball in high school. The injury first started with a micro tear when I was playing volleyball during my offseason. I went to the ER. They said I had a micro tear, but that it could naturally get better. I didn't really listen about not playing sports, so I went to play handball that summer and I completely tore it. Due to my injury, I had to have an ACL and meniscus surgery with a different doctor in town — back in 2010.
When I got back into volleyball, my knee started swelling again. I specifically wanted to find a doctor from HSS. Dr. Strickland and Dr. Gomoll are very active people and I felt like that caused an instant connection. They recommended the HTO surgery and also the ACL reinforcement — so I was able to do both surgeries with both doctors.
“Dr. Strickland and Dr. Gomoll are very active people, and I felt like that caused an instant connection.” — Jennifer
They had to explain what was going on, so they actually had a visual representation of the knee joints and they walked through it step by step. It was easy for me to make the decision because I wanted to get back into volleyball. The goal of the HTO is to create a gap between my two joints, to prevent swelling whenever they brush up against each other during exercise — my meniscus was gone, or half of it was naturally degraded.
On the day of surgery, Dr. Gomoll started with the HTO. Afterwards, Dr. Strickland came in and did the ACL reinforcement. After surgery, I had a month where I couldn't put pressure on my left foot. Then I was able to slowly put weight on. I was doing PT almost three times a week for a couple of months. Afterwards, I got back into Pilates.
It's been 2 years since my surgery. I've reached over 108 classes for my Pilates. The surgery has completely changed my life for the better. I wasn't expecting to play this much volleyball — I play three to five times a week.
Overall, a very positive experience with Dr. Gomoll and Dr. Strickland's team. I'm a very efficient person, so I appreciate their team being very efficient. I was able to relate to them and that helped ease my worries. I was able to get back into volleyball, something I love — and they were able to change my life for the better.
About the procedure
High Tibial Osteotomy (HTO)
HTO is a controlled cut and repositioning of the upper tibia that shifts the mechanical axis of the leg from the worn compartment toward the healthy side — opening up a protective gap on the damaged side of the knee. It's a joint-preserving alternative to partial knee replacement in younger active patients. More on joint preservation →
ACL Reconstruction
ACL reconstruction rebuilds the central knee stabilizer with a tendon graft. In Jennifer's case, the original ACL repair from 2010 was reinforced as part of the same operation — letting both procedures heal together so she could begin a single coordinated rehab program. More on ACL reconstruction →
Read more patient stories
Hear from more of Dr. Gomoll's patients in their own words about how they got back to the lives they love.