< Patient Stories

Timothy Gets Back in the Game

High school football player Timothy Spiva loves the sport and always gives it his all. So on an October Friday night when he turned down the chance to get back on the field, his parents knew something was wrong.
Timothy had been keeping an eye on a knee injury from earlier in the season, but a couple of hard hits took him out of the game that memorable Friday night. A Google search on the way home led Timothy and his parents to the Arkansas Children’s Saturday Sports Injury Clinic the next morning.

They arrived 30 minutes before the clinic opened. A consultation with sports medicine specialist and pediatric orthopedic surgeon Brant Sachleben, MD, led to an MRI. The Spivas received a call the following Wednesday confirming the news they were all hoping against – it was a torn ACL.

“We were impressed with the quick process,” Timothy’s parents Tanya and Marty Spiva said. “We couldn’t believe that we had answers and a plan within seven days.”

The surgery was scheduled near Thanksgiving. Leading up to the day, Timothy received physical therapy to ensure he was as strong as possible going into the surgery.

"Our doctor was very attentive and always so concerned about Timothy,” his mother said. “He wanted Timothy to be comfortable, and always addressed him first and then spoke with us about any other questions or concerns.”

Six months later, Timothy was cleared by Dr. Sachleben and is thriving at summer practice. For extra precaution, he sports an orange brace from ACH that matches his football uniform, and is on schedule for a positive one-year follow-up in November.

Arkansas Children’s has all of the resources in place to make experiences like Timothy’s as seamless as possible. Returning this fall, the Saturday Sports Injury Clinic is ready to get your athlete better today and back on the field tomorrow.